Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant was ejected in the second quarter of November 12’s Blazers win over the New Orleans Pelicans after what he later downplayed as “a little tussle” while battling for a rebound with center Yves Missi, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian/OregonLive.
“I really don’t even really know what happened,” Grant told Freeman. “Just a little tussling. Heat of the moment. Whatever happened, happened. It ain’t nothing really.”
The incident didn’t derail Portland, which still closed out a 125-117 road victory behind a monster scoring night from Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija. The win pushed the Trail Blazers to 6-5 on the season, while the short-handed Pelicans fell to 2-9.
Jerami Grant Calls Ejection ‘Just a Little Tussle’
GettyJerami Grant, known for his calm demeanor, was ejected against the New Orleans Pelicans for his role in a near-brawl.
The scuffle happened midway through the second quarter at Smoothie King Center with the score tied 39-39 and just over six minutes left in the half. As Trey Murphy III fired a corner three, Grant and Missi got tangled under the basket jockeying for rebounding position.
Freeman reports that Grant was fighting for space when the contact escalated. Grant told reporters that Missi was pushing him as they battled on the glass and that things quickly got physical, saying he was boxing out and “we got into it,” via Freeman.
As the two bigs wrestled near the baseline, players from both teams and multiple Pelicans coaches rushed into the scrum to separate them. Video replays circulating online show the pair yanking and jostling under the hoop, with Missi appearing to reach up toward Grant’s neck as bodies closed in around them.
Officials went to the monitor and, after a lengthy review, hit both Grant and Missi with technical fouls and ejected them from the game. Shaedon Sharpe and Herbert Jones were also assessed technicals for their roles in the aftermath.
Asked postgame whether Missi grabbed him by the neck, Grant wasn’t interested in rehashing the entire sequence. He told Freeman he didn’t really know exactly what happened in the scrum and chalked it up to the “heat of the moment,” calling it “just a little tussling” and adding that “whatever happened, happened.”
Grant finished with a modest line — two points, two rebounds and one assist in seven minutes before the ejection — as Portland’s biggest scorer off the bench.
Tiago Splitter Wants Grant ‘a Little Bit Smarter’
Inside the Blazers’ locker room, the mood stayed light. Freeman notes that Grant’s teammates teased him about the ejection, and interim head coach Tiago Splitter joked that Grant now owes the team dinner.
On a more serious note, Splitter told Freeman that the league’s explanation centered on Grant getting his hands up around a Pelicans player’s neck during the altercation, which automatically triggered the ejection. Splitter said incidents like this are “part of the game” and emphasized that Portland is “not going to back down from anything,” per Freeman.
Still, the interim coach made it clear he wants Grant available — not in the locker room — when things get chippy. Splitter told Freeman that he advised Grant to be “a little bit smarter” in those moments going forward.
For now, the fallout is limited to the in-game ejections, but the NBA regularly reviews flagrant and technical situations like this and could levy a fine or additional discipline after looking at the full replay, as other outlets have noted.
What Jerami Grant’s Ejection Means for the Trail Blazers
From a pure basketball standpoint, the Blazers survived just fine without Grant on this particular night. Sharpe erupted for 35 points and Avdija poured in 32, carrying the offense and combining for 67 points on hyper-efficient shooting in New Orleans.
But over the long haul, Grant’s ejection is a reminder of how thin Portland’s margin for error can be in the frontcourt. The veteran is a versatile forward who can slide between positions, space the floor and take tough defensive assignments. With the Blazers already navigating injuries and a young rotation, losing him for even part of a game puts more pressure on Donovan Clingan and the rest of the big-man group.
If the league decides to issue a fine or suspend either player, Portland may have to juggle its frontcourt minutes even more on the upcoming road swing. Even if no further punishment comes, Splitter’s comments underline what the Blazers want from Grant: his toughness without the extra baggage of an unnecessary ejection.
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