The Smoothie King Center crowd fell into stunned silence as the second quarter buzzer sounded on Thursday night, with the New Orleans Pelicans leading the Portland Trail Blazers 70-65. In a split-second sequence that turned the game on its head, Herb Jones—the Pelicans’ usually unflappable defensive anchor—found himself ejected for the first time in his NBA career.

It all happened on the final possession of the half. Portland’s Deni Avdija drove hard toward the rim and floated a shot from near the foul line, drawing contact from Jones and earning a foul call. Jones, visibly frustrated with the whistle, immediately turned to the officials to protest.

One referee quickly hit him with a technical foul for arguing. But Jones didn’t back down. He kept venting, and within seconds, another offi

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