Utah's Donovan Mitchell fires against Jamal Murray of Denver in the Jazz's 124-105 NBA playoff victory over the Nuggets
Utah's Donovan Mitchell fires against Jamal Murray of Denver in the Jazz's 124-105 NBA playoff victory over the Nuggets GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / POOL

KEY POINTS

  • Donovan Mitchell was ejected late during the Jazz's OT loss to the Sixers
  • Mitchell led the Jazz with 33 points in the losing effort
  • Mitchell expressed his displeasure after the game, directing his frustration at the referees

With about 30 seconds remaining in Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell was tossed out of the contest after picking up a second technical foul--just seconds after his first one.

The 24-year-old native of Elmsford, New York felt that he was fouled by Ben Simmons during the previous play, leading to an outburst directed at the game’s officials.

Mitchell, who led the Jazz with 33 points, could not be on the floor to help his team out as they went on to lose to the East’s top-seeded team, 131-123.

The two-time All-Star was visibly upset as he walked back to the locker room, tossing over a water cooler and ripping off his shooting sleeve.

During the post-game interview, Mitchell took the opportunity to express his displeasure at the situation.

“We won this game, in my personal opinion...it’s getting f*****g ridiculous that this is what’s happened. We have a whole second half of the season to get ready for, but I’m sick of it, to be honest with you," a candid Mitchell said.

"We all are. I think this is something that eats at me. You all know what it is, we all know what it is, but it’s really getting out of hand. It’s really, really, really getting out of hand, and the league needs to do something about this because I want to see the last two minutes on the court,” he added.

Without directly saying it, it was obvious that Mitchell was taking a shot at the league's officiating.

Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert - Utah Jazz
Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz and Rudy Gobert #27 talk against the New Orleans Pelicans during a game at the Smoothie King Center on January 06, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Mitchell is just the latest player to voice his opinions regarding how games have been officiated this season. Over the past few weeks, players like Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, John Wall, and Paul George have all publicly criticized or at least commented on how games are presided by NBA officials.

Unfortunately, Mitchell likely won’t be the last to do so.

Despite having a forgettable evening, Mitchell appeared to have a friendly banter with Sixers big man Joel Embiid, who seemed to be the culprit of his shocking ejection.

Embiid had 40 points and 19 rebounds in the Sixers' win over the Jazz. The two had a light-hearted back-and-forth on Twitter after the feud.

Mitchell and Embiid will once again see each other when they head to Atlanta for the NBA All-Star Game this Sunday.

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