Some day, long after his young playing days have ended, Denver Nuggets point guard Emmanuel Mudiay could have a follow-up career as an NBA referee. And he showed why when he effectively tossed Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich his team’s Thursday night matchup with Denver.
Emmanuel Mudiay mimicked a referee and tossed Gregg Popovich from the game
But Pop’s team had the last laugh.
Popovich earned his first technical foul jawing with a referee from the bench. But he didn’t stop there. Pop proceeded to chase after the official, getting his money’s worth by peppering the ref with a verbal assault for his second tech.
The venomous attack prompted Mudiay to send Pop packing.
Mudiay later apologized on Twitter.
Regardless, the Spurs are the West’s second-ranked team. The Nuggets? They’re the eighth seed.
San Antonio went on to take down Denver, 118-104, and Mudiay — theatrics and all — scored just 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting from the field with two assists to three turnovers.
So the young point guard may have won the battle, but one thing experienced NBA vets learn quickly: Pop always wins the war.
