Charlotte Hornets

Hornets coach James Borrego blows up at refs vs. Nuggets. Watch his first NBA ejection

Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego, right, continues to argue a call against the team during third quarter action against the Denver Nuggets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Borrego was ejected from the game.
Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego, right, continues to argue a call against the team during third quarter action against the Denver Nuggets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Borrego was ejected from the game. jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego was ejected from Tuesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets when he blew up at referees in the third quarter.

It was Borrego’s first ejection as an NBA head coach.

Borrego’s outburst was in response to an out-of-bounds play in which the ball was awarded to the Nuggets. Borrego was called for back-to-back technical fouls, leaving the game less than three minutes into the second half.

The Hornets are chasing a spot in the NBA’s play-in tournament. Assistant coach Jay Triano, who was previously an NBA head coach in Toronto and Phoenix, took over for Borrego.

Those were the third and fourth technical fouls of the season for Borrego, who is in his third season coaching the Hornets.

This story was originally published May 11, 2021 at 8:45 PM.

Rick Bonnell
The Charlotte Observer
Rick Bonnell has covered the Charlotte Hornets and the NBA for the Observer since the expansion franchise moved to the Queen City in 1988. A Syracuse grad and former president of the Pro Basketball Writers Association, Bonnell also writes occasionally on the NFL, college sports and the business of sports. Support my work with a digital subscription
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