Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder said that it was an accident when he struck wing P.J. Tucker in the groin while trying to get through a screen on the play that both players got ejected for in Game 5.
“We’re competitors, we try to go there and compete as hard as we can,” Schroder said. “My family didn’t raise me that way to hurt somebody intentionally. I would never do that. It’s just unfortunate that I went between his legs.”
In the third quarter of Game 5 against the Houston Rockets, Tucker screened off Schroder. As the guard tried to keep up with James Harden, his arm struck Tucker between his legs.
Tucker got up and yelled at Schroder, who was facing in the other direction. Tucker bumped his head against Schroder’s head.
Both players were ejected from the game.
PJ Tucker and Dennis Schroeder were both just ejected after Schroder hit Tucker in the groin, and Tucker then headbutted him.
(via @NotDubs408)pic.twitter.com/qN6BNUV45C
— FanSided (@FanSided) August 30, 2020
Schroder insisted that it was an accident as he tried to fight through the screen, and that he should not have been ejected.
“It’s not on purpose. It shouldn’t be a flagrant 2,” he said. “Me and Tucker, we’ve been on each other since 2012 when we played in Germany together.”
Despite that, both players were kicked out of the game. Oklahoma City lost 114-80 and fell behind 3-2 in the first-round series of the playoffs.
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