The Los Angeles Lakers’ roller coaster of a season came to an end with one last ride on Sunday night, coming back from 17 down to beat the Denver Nuggets on the road.
After the game, the headlines should’ve been on Malik Monk’s career-high 41 points and Austin Reaves leading the comeback with a historic 31-point, 16-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, a statline that has only been accomplished by four rookies before him in NBA history.
Instead though, reports surrounding heading coach Frank Vogel’s expected dismissal began to circulate immediately after the final overtime clock hit zero, shifting the attention to that.
And now, Lakers veteran Wayne Ellington, who also had perhaps his best game of the season with 18 points off the bench, is making headlines after taking to Twitter to threaten Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo after his dirty hit that led to a Flagrant 2 foul call and ejection:
When I see you I’m putting my hands on you. @facucampazzo
— Wayne Ellington (@WayneEllington) April 11, 2022
While violence should never be condoned, it is understandable why Ellington is upset with this hit by Campazzo in the second quarter, via SportsCenter:
¡No, Facu! Campazzo, que sumaba minutos ante los Lakers en la #NBAxESPN (con 3 puntos y 4 asistencias), fue EXPULSADO del partido por este golpe a Wayne Ellington. pic.twitter.com/kGPrWkShso
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) April 11, 2022
After being hit by Campazzo, Ellington’s head hit teammate Wenyen Gabriel’s leg on his way to the ground. While Ellington was down for a bit, he eventually got up and ended up being OK, playing a big part in the Lakers’ comeback victory.
Ellington’s second tenure with the Lakers may not have gone how he or the organization had hoped, but he remained professional throughout the season before now going out with a bang.
Vogel hasn’t been notified of dismissal
While reports circulated that the Lakers were planning to part ways with Vogel, he spoke at the podium after the game and revealed that he had not yet been notified.
“I haven’t been told s— and I’m going to enjoy tonight’s game, celebrate what these young guys did in terms of scratching and clawing and getting back in this game and getting a W, and we’ll deal with tomorrow tomorrow.”
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