When the Pelicans hosted the Portland Trail Blazers, no one expected things to get this heated. Yet that was what happened in the second quarter. The Blazers’ Jerami Grant got into a scuffle with New Orleans’ Yves Missi. The situation got bad enough for teammates to get involved, to break them up, not join in. The physical altercation involved a lot of pushing and pulling. Once cooler heads prevailed, Jerami Grant and Yves Missi were ejected from the game.

Without the players, the Blazers and Pelicans have made the second half into a tug-of-war. It’s a very close game with the Pelicans cutting a 7+ point gap into 76-79 with 5:00 minutes left in the third quarter.

It happened after Pelicans’ Trey Murphy missed his three-point attempt. Missi and Grant got tangled while battling for the rebound. It escalated to shoving but no fists were thrown.

Their teammates, both on the court and in the sidelines, rushed to break up the fight and the game had to be paused. It was so rushed, announcers couldn’t even tell which were the instigating players. By the time they realized it was Grant and Missi, the scuffle was diffused.

Officiants ejected the key instigators, Grant and Missi. Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe and Pelicans’ Herb Jones were each given techs.

Grant had two points (1-3 FG), two rebounds and one assist in eight minutes. Missi had played only two minutes and scored nothing.

The Blazers and Pelicans can’t afford these scuffles

Fans found the consequences a little harsh since no punches were thrown and both teams are exceptionally injury-ridden. Every player counts given the situation they’re in. Some of the anger is also directed at the players for risking suspension with their conduct. But it’s unlikely to go that far.

The Portland Trail Blazers re-acquired Damian Lillard this past summer but he’s still a long way from returning to the court. Not to mention the drama with their coach, Chauncey Billups that put him on unpaid leave pending litigation.

It’s been Jerami Grant who’s kept the team at a 5-5 record going into tonight’s game and turning the Blazers into underdogs. He’s been averaging 19.7 points on 48.3% shooting before Wednesday night.

The Pelicans are also missing Zion Williamson and Jordan Poole to injuries. Unlike their rivals, they’ve struggled to make up for the deficit and are at an abysmal 2-8 record.

It’s unlikely both players will be suspended. But given Adam Silver’s recent strong stance on in-game fights, they might be looking at hefty fines.