Lakers' Anthony Davis Ejected vs. Bulls After Exchange With Referee

The Los Angeles Lakers were already without the injured LeBron James for Monday's matchup against the Chicago Bulls, and they lost another one of their superstars in the third quarter.

Anthony Davis was ejected with the Purple and Gold facing a significant deficit.

Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times noted the big man was ejected for picking up a second technical foul. According to Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet, it was just the second time the University of Kentucky product was ejected in his career and the first time since 2017.

Davis exchanged words with the official as he put his shoe on and was thrown out:

The eight-time All-Star was one of the bright spots for the Lakers prior to the exchange and had 20 points and six rebounds while battling against a Chicago frontcourt that was missing Nikola Vucevic.

DeMar DeRozan shot the technical foul free throw when Davis was ejected and pushed the Bulls' lead to 21 points.

The Southern California product was dominant with 35 points, seven rebounds and five assists while leading Chicago to a win over the LA Clippers in Sunday's matchup and continued his impressive play while carrying the visitors' offense for extended stretches against the Lakers.

As for Davis, the four-time All-NBA selection entered play averaging 24.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per game this season.

Los Angeles will likely need him to remain a double-double force this season, especially while James is sidelined, although ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported the King could return "soon" from an abdomen strain.

Next up for the Lakers is a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.