Luke Walton earns first ejection with Lakers, has some choice words for refs (Video)

Head coach Luke Walton earned the first ejection of his Los Angeles Lakers tenure, and had some choice words for the officials afterward.

The Los Angeles Lakers and their new head coach Luke Walton were one of the NBA’s pleasant surprises early in the 2016-17 season, but ever since their 7-5 start had everyone talking playoffs, the Lakers have gone 3-11.

It’s easy to understand why frustration would creep in with D’Angelo Russell out injured until Sunday night’s game and the Lakers on a six-game losing streak heading into Monday night’s road game in Sacramento. Even so, getting ejected eight minutes into a game is…less than ideal.

Late in the first quarter, DeMarcus Cousins came down the floor and hooked/all but tackled Julius Randle to the ground. The lack of a foul call was too much for Walton, who went berserk and earned himself two technical fouls, resulting in the first ejection of his Lakers tenure.

As he had to be restrained by his own players and escorted off the court, he had some…choice words for the officials:

LET’S TAKE ANOTHER LOOK FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE, COTTON:

Now, I’m no professional lip reader, but it looks as though Walton’s potty mouth included a couple of F-bombs that will soon earn him a lovely letter and accompanying fine from the league office. Was it a foul on Cousins? Yes. But was it worth getting ejected over, eight minutes in? Perhaps not.

Walton was baited into the technical by Boogie, and thanks to a 39-13 advantage in the third quarter, the Kings built up a double-digit lead heading into the final frame at home.

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A loss Monday night would put the Lakers at 3-12 since their hot start, including an ongoing seven-game skid. It’s perfectly understandable that frustration is creeping in for this young team, but Walton’s fire didn’t quite translate to his players’ on-court performance this time around.