[The Athletic] Rick Carlisle: “I think I saw Kevin Durant wind up and throw the ball overhand, 10 or 15 rows into the stands and not get ejected… I'm not going to share the explanation because I don't want to embarrass the officials. I don't want to embarrass the league.”

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Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said he was shocked that Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant was not ejected after throwing the ball into the stands during the Nets' win Friday night. After being fouled with 4:40 left in the third quarter, Durant threw the ball overhand toward the hoop, and it sailed over the backboard and into the crowd.

"I think I saw Kevin Durant wind up and throw the ball overhand, 10 or 15 rows into the stands and not get ejected," Carlisle said with a laugh after the game. "I think that's what I saw. And so that was shocking."

Asked what the officials' explanation was for not ejecting Durant, Carlisle replied, "I'm not going to share the explanation because I don't want to embarrass the officials. I don't want to embarrass the league. These guys are nice guys. They just made a big error. The league will address it."

"You don't want to hear the explanation," continued Carlisle, who is the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association. "And at this point, it doesn't matter, because it's not going to change the outcome. But it's something that's a significant thing that just can't be missed, that's all."