Nick Young sounds off after ejection

ByBaxter Holmes ESPN logo
Saturday, December 20, 2014

LOS ANGELES -- Lakers guard Nick Young called Steven Adams a "sneaky, dirty player" after an on-court scuffle with the Oklahoma City center led to Young's ejection during the Thunder's 104-103 win Friday night.

The two players got tangled up early in the fourth quarter, and Young threw a forearm into Adams' throat, which led to a flagrant foul 2 and an ejection with 11:03 left.

"I lost my mind a little bit, checked into the crazy house, got back out," said Young, who finished with 10 points in 13 minutes off the bench.

Said Adams, "I just set a screen. They called it an illegal screen, which I didn't think it was. But you know, he just got heated because it was going back and forth and he just got frustrated; that's all that happened."

Lakers coach Byron Scott wasn't happy Young put himself in a position that led to his ejection.

"Adams, that how he is," Scott said. "He's going to grab and hold and do things to irritate you, and Nick definitely overreacted. He's too valuable for us to overreact and get kicked out of the game like that."

Asked whether he's getting used to these situations, Adams laughed.

It's not the first time the notoriously physical Adams has gotten beneath an opposing player's skin. Five players were ejected, suspended or both last season after scuffling with him: Nate Robinson (preseason), Vince Carter, Jordan Hamilton, Larry Sanders and Zach Randolph (postseason).

"It's one of the easier ones," he said, referring to Young.

Young said he should have known better.

"It's not my first rodeo with him," he said.

Young expanded on Adams' tactics.

"Just little hits here and there, when they're coming off screens, he'll stick his knee out and stuff like that," Young said. "I'm not here to tell on him or anything like that. He's doing his job. He did his job today to get me out of the game. That's what they put him in the game to do."

The NBA will review the play and determine whether to add an additional fine and/or a suspension.

"I'm expecting the worst," Young said.

The Lakers visit the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

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