Robin Lopez ejected in Sacramento after back-to-back T's, throws chair

SACRAMENTO --Chicagocenter Robin Lopez was ejected after being called for his second technical foul in the second quarter of the Bulls' 104-98 loss to theKingson Monday and had to be held back from a referee.

Lopez, who was upset about calls not in his favor, threw a chair down the hall by the visiting locker room -- to the crowd's delight.

After not getting a foul call on a shot attempt in the second quarter, the usually happy-go-lucky Lopez voiced his displeasure with referee Justin Van Duyne as he ran down the floor.

"I disagreed with the call. I told him, 'that's bad,'" said Lopez after the game. "I'm not sure the reason behind the technical, but I suppose the officials are absolute and who am I to discredit that?

"I was a little bit surprised, in my mind, such a subdued response."

Shortly after, the 7-footer was called for a defensive foul with 4:21 remaining in the second quarter, and he continued to direct his ire at Van Duyne in a more animated manner. Van Duyne responded by issuing Lopez a technical foul without saying a word. After an irate Lopez had to be held back by two teammates, a stoic and silent referee Rodney Mott responded nearby with a game-ejecting second technical foul.

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg, associate head coach Jim Boylan, assistant coach Randy Brown and a team security official had to plead with an angry Lopez to depart from the court.

After Lopez reluctantly left the Golden 1 Center floor, he grabbed a chair in the tunnel leading toward the Bulls locker room and tossed it.

When asked if the chair was OK, Lopez replied, "I think so. It's metal."

Lopez's incident was the latest in a continuing battle between NBA players and referees this season.

The injury-plagued Bulls' starting center finished with two points on 1-of-5 shooting, one rebound and three personal fouls in nearly 14 minutes.

Chicago was playing without Lauri Markkanen, who missed his third straight game due to the birth of his child. Markkanen was scheduled to join the Bulls in Sacramento, but his flight was cancelled due to weather in Chicago.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.