In the middle of tonight’s matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and the New Orleans Pelicans, the crowd inside Smoothie King Center was left stunned, barely processing what had just unfolded. Herb Jones, usually one of the Pelicans’ calmer and more composed presences, suddenly became the center of chaos when one defensive sequence spiraled out of control, leading to his ejection.

Moments later, the replay hit the Jumbotron. On a last-second drive to the basket at the end of the second quarter, Deni Avdija attacked the rim against Jones, drawing a foul. In response, Jones, upset with the call, began an argument with the referees. As tensions rose, one official assessed him with an immediate technical foul, drawing an immediate whistle but not ending the drama.

The situation intensified when Jones kept arguing after the first tech, prompting another official to assess him with a second technical foul quickly. Within seconds, the referees signaled the ejection, officially removing the forward from the contest.

Before exiting the game, Jones had been playing well on defense, recording one block. He was having a slow offensive night, logging four points on 2-9 shooting, but managed six rebounds, four of which were offensive, and logged a +5 plus/minus, showing his non-statistical impact.

He’s been having a down year in terms of efficiency, but his three-point percentage has improved from last year. He is also the best defender on the Pelicans, making him a vaunted asset for teams around the league.

In fact, the Los Angeles Lakers have actively pursued Jones to try to shore up their perimeter defense. According to one report, Jones is unlikely to be moved though, since the front office that gave him a three-year, $68 million contract extension in July, signaling their belief in him as a part of their core.

New Orleans Pelicans Snap Skid, Stay Swinging Against Portland Trail Blazers

The New Orleans Pelicans entered tonight’s game buried in a seven-game losing streak, but the way they lost those games doesn’t indicate a broken team. Despite missing star Zion Williamson, five of those losses game by single digits, two went into overtime, and the team almost came back from down twenty against the San Antonio Spurs before losing 135-132. Even at their lowest point of the season so far, the Pelicans refuse to roll over leaning on grit and pace to stay within striking distance.

The fight shows up most clearly in Herb Jones, as well as rookie big man Derik Queen, who logged the best performance of his young career his last game: 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and four blocks. 29 of those points came after halftime as the team funneled their offense through him, with head coach James Borrego praising his poise on the glass and on defense. Queen later admitted the milestone meant a lot after missing preseason due to injury.

The Blazers, before tonight’s loss had taken the past four matchups, including a 125-117 win just last month, flipping a rivalry once owned by the Pelicans with seven straight. Even with both sides battered by injuries to key players and searching for consistency, New Orleans managed to take the win at home, 143-120.

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