VIDEO: Toronto Raptors' Amir Johnson Gets Ejected, Throws Mouthpiece at Ref

If a mouthpiece gets tossed during a forgettable game between the Toronto Raptors and the Portland Trail Blazers, does anyone notice?

Well, if it connects with a referee, the league office will undoubtedly take notice. Toronto big man Amir Johnson will soon find out.

Between Portland center J.J. Hickson's free-throw attempts, Johnson got into an apparent argument with referee David Jones while trying to retrieve the basketball. As Jones made his way toward the scorer's table after ejecting Johnson, Johnson decided to hurl his mouthpiece in the ref's direction, hitting Jones in the back.

Any pending action from the league office on Johnson will definitely be a matter of how severe the punishment is, not if one will be handed down.

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Amir Johnson threw his mouthpiece at the ref after getting ejected.Suspension probably coming for that.#SuspendTheRaptors

— NBA Info Daily (@NBAInfoDaily) December 11, 2012"

With Portland minus Nic Batum and Wesley Matthews, the Trail Blazers overcame an 0-of-20 three-point performance for a 92-74 win in the contest.

More than one person noted that Johnson's mouthpiece was one of the few things on target during the game.

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That mouthpiece fling was deadly. Perfect aim. Amir was not a happy man.

— Holly MacKenzie (@stackmack) December 11, 2012"

The teams entered the contest with just a combined 12 wins and 29 combined losses. And the game looked every bit of the matchup that the records indicated it would be.

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Bacon rallies to make it 64-59 game at end of 3. Fans begin rousing "please, not overtime" chant.

— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) December 11, 2012"

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The incident keeps this game in discussion, but for all the wrong reasons.

With Andrea Bargnani injured in the contest (according to the Raptors' media relations Twitter account), any lost time for Johnson could prove devastating to a suddenly thin Raptors frontcourt.