'Never in my life': Fury at NBA referees over 'embarassing' ejection

NBA fans were left bemused and the Denver Nuggets furious after point guard Austin Rivers was ejected from their close win over the Indiana Pacers on a highly dubious call.

The Nuggets picked up a crucial win for their playoff chances in the Western Conference playoffs, but they had to do it the hard way against a determined Indiana outfit.

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After letting a 31-point first half lead slip, the last thing the injury-riddled Nuggets needed was to lose key ball-handler Rivers early in the fourth quarter.

By this stage the Pacers had closed to within two points, with Rivers picking up a technical foul as Indiana made their charge for a brief altercation with rival Lance Stephenson.

But it was his second technical that Nuggets coach Michael Malone said they would protest, after Rivers was tossed for what referee Tony Brothers said had been a malicious act.

Rivers had the ball and was being guarded by Stephenson when he faked throwing an elbow at him - it made no contact, but nevertheless drew a whistle and technical foul that saw him leave the game.

"Never in my life have I been thrown out of a game for something so ridiculous," Rivers tweeted after the game.

"Seriously…never. League gotta look at this one."

In a separate post to his Instagram story, Rivers maintained there was no need for him to ejected on a call like that.

"I’m cool with Lance doing all his extra stuff. He’s an irritant,” Rivers wrote on Instagram.

“Just don’t throw me out for trying to get him off of me. Especially when I didn’t even hit him or really try to. I wasn’t close.”

Rivers had support from several high profile NBA players, as well as fans on social media.

The Nuggets, after opening the game on a 43-15 run, held on to claim the seven-point win on Wednesday, their third straight.

Nikola Jokic nearly had a triple-double with 37 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.

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The Miami Heat have rallied in the fourth quarter to hold off the Boston Celtics 106-98 to stay top in a tight race for the Eastern Conference's top seed.

Jimmy Butler scored 24 points, Kyle Lowry added 23 and Bam Adebayo finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds to help Miami post a second straight NBA win since a season-worst four-game losing streak.

Since briefly taking over the East's top spot, Boston have lost two in a row for the first time since late January.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 28 points and 10 rebounds while Jayson Tatum added 23 points and six assists.

The back-and-forth game had very much the intensity of a play-off match-up, featuring nine ties and 16 lead changes.

NBA leaders Phoenix Suns are one win away from setting a franchise record for most wins in a season after downing Golden State 107-93 in San Francisco.

The Suns, who have lost just 14 games, tied the Suns record on Wednesday night with their 62nd win, matching the feat of the 1992-93 team led by Charles Barkley and the 2004-05 team sparked by Steve Nash.

Jordan Poole scored a personal season-best 38 points and there were good contributions from key players, Chris Paul (15 points and eight assists), Mikal Bridges (22 points), Devin Booker (22 points) and Deandre Ayton (16 points and 16 rebounds) as the Suns claimed a ninth straight win.

The Suns are also have a chance to set an NBA record for most road wins. They are now 31-6 in away games and need to win their last four to break the 34-7 road mark set by the Warriors in 2015-16.

The Memphis Grizzlies clinched the No.2 seed in the Western Conference, holding on to beat the late-charging San Antonio Spurs 112-111.

With AAP

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