The Los Angeles Clippers earned a big road win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, but it didn’t come easily, especially with head coach Tyronn Lue being ejected in the fourth quarter.
Lue was tossed after picking up his second technical, and he wasn’t a happy camper before leaving the court.
Ty Lue has been EJECTED from the game and he is FURIOUS 😳 pic.twitter.com/wZfqSivN92
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) February 15, 2024
After the game, Lue was full of energy. He was clearly thrilled with his squad’s victory but still very frustrated with the officiating crew.
“Where the refs at now?” Lue said. “Cheating, that’s all they been doing. … Where James [Williams] at, the referee? I wanna kick him in the mouth. Where’s James at?”
The Clippers used a huge fourth quarter to steal a win from the Warriors, with Los Angeles outscoring Golden State 44-28 in the final frame. It was the last game before the All-Star break for the Clippers, so they’ll be able to enjoy the coming days with a nice win in the books.
While Lue clearly wasn’t happy with the way the game was officiated on Wednesday, the Clippers did end up at the charity stripe 37 times, while the Warriors were there just 18 times. That’s not necessarily indicative of one team getting a more favorable whistle than the other, but the difference in free throws was certainly a major reason why L.A. came out on top.
The Clippers have completely turned their season around, and they’re one of the top teams in the Western Conference as they head into the All-Star break. L.A. owns a 36-17 record, good for the No. 3 spot in the West. The squad trails the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves by just 1.5 games.
There’s certainly some pressure on the Clippers to make a playoff run this season, as the team is exceptionally talented but is aging. This season is as good a chance as any for Lue’s squad to do some serious damage. The Clippers have never reached the NBA Finals.
After the All-Star break, the Clippers will be back in action with back-to-back road games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies. After their emotional win over the Warriors, they’ll look to unwind over the break before keeping things moving in the right direction in about a week.
