A massage gun thrown on the basketball court? Yes, that happened.
Dewayne Dedmon, the Miami Heat’s veteran center, was ejected from Tuesday night’s 112-111 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder after throwing a massage gun on the court in frustration while play was going on.
It came after the 33-year-old got into a verbal altercation with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, but it was unclear what caused the dispute. Dedmon has had a frustrating past few weeks, losing some of his playing time recently as Orlando Robinson started in his place.
The ejection was especially costly for the Heat who had just nine players available for the game and Dedmon was one of eight they used in the first half. Miami used just seven players after the ejection.
Dedmon entered late in the first quarter, then was subbed out with 9:25 left in the half. That prompted an argument on the Heat sideline and Dedmon swatted at one of the massage guns behind the bench.
The device sailed onto the court — coming to rest about 35 feet from where Dedmon was standing — while play was happening.
Dedmon was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“We’re all a bunch of gnarly personalities,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That part was unfortunate. Everything before that, that’s the Miami Heat. That part was unacceptable.”
This isn’t the fist time the Heat suffered from internal discord that leaked onto the court during a game.
During a loss to the Warriors last season, Jimmy Butler, Spoelstra and Udonis Haslem got into a shouting match during a timeout in the third quarter while Golden State was making its run. Spoelstra also slammed his clipboard on the ground in frustration.
But on this night, it was a nice ending for the Heat.
Jimmy Butler’s three-point play with 12.9 seconds gave the Heat the win, capping an NBA-record performance by Spoelstra’s crew. Butler’s free throw, which capped off his 35-point night, made the Heat 40 for 40 from the foul line, breaking the 39-for-39 mark by Utah against Portland on Dec. 7, 1982.
— with AP