CJ McCollum was moving up a weight class or two in this showdown, but he was not backing down.
Early in the third quarter of the Kings blowing out the Blazers in a critical game in the chase for the eighth seed in the West, Portland’s McCollum got into it with Sacramento’s Alex Len. What started as a screen was fueled by frustration and turned into more.
FIGHT!!!! CJ McCollum and Alex Len pic.twitter.com/S9EEGoufct
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) March 8, 2020
McCollum acted like he expected to be sent to an early shower (he was collecting high fives on the bench), but after the officials reviewed it they called an offensive foul on Len and double technicals. That’s it.
Sacramento won 123-111 behind 27 from Bogdan Bogdanovic. McCollum may have wanted to get tossed to avoid watching the fourth quarter of that game. The win keeps the Kings 3.5 games back of the Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the West, it drops Portland 4.5 back,