Tristan Thompson Indicates Refs Were Wrong to Eject Him for Incident With Jae Crowder

In the Cleveland Cavaliers’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Cavs big man Tristan Thompson was ejected.

The ejection took place late in the third quarter after Thompson slapped Grizzlies big man Jae Crowder’s backside before taking shots at the free-throw line.

Following the game, Thompson downplayed the incident and indicated that the game’s officials did not fully understand the interaction.

“(The referees) might have taken it the wrong way,” Thompson told reporters. “Probably because they forgot that, I don’t know, we were teammates for half a year. So it feels like playing anyone else, like if I was playing Kyrie [Irving] or something. It was the same thing.”

Thompson had an utterly forgettable night versus the Grizzlies, recording just three points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes of playing time.

That low output, and his early exit from the game, certainly contributed to the Cavs’ 113-109 loss.

Next up, the Cavs will take on the Chicago Bulls on Saturday evening.