Things got chippy early in Sunday’s game between the Houston Rockets and visiting Los Angeles Lakers, with Markieff Morris and DeMarcus Cousins both ejected in the first half after hard fouls.
Late in the first quarter, Morris committed what was deemed to be a flagrant foul on Houston rookie Jae’Sean Tate, and Cousins responded by pushing him away. From there, Morris charged at Cousins and gave him a hard shove. He then followed the big man down the court and argued in a threatening manner before they were finally separated.
After an extended review, the officials — led by crew chief Rodney Mott — decided on a Flagrant 1 foul for what Morris did to Tate; double technicals on Morris and Cousins; and an ejection for Morris.
Then, early in the second quarter, Cousins tried to strip the ball from LeBron James but inadvertently hit him in the head, instead. After James stayed down on the court for several seconds, officials went to the courtside monitor to review the play and charged Cousins with a Flagrant 2 foul, which includes an automatic ejection.
You can see video of both sequences below. Overall, it was a chippy and intense first half at Toyota Center between the recent playoff rivals, with Lakers guard Alex Caruso and Houston veterans John Wall and PJ Tucker also among those to pick up technical fouls before halftime.
Markieff Morris and DeMarcus Cousins get into it. 🍿🍿pic.twitter.com/UwJDKunBbh
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 11, 2021
DeMarcus Cousins has been EJECTED on this flagrant foul on LeBron.
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/JjYol8WsTy
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 11, 2021
