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Video: Magic's James Ennis, Bucks' Marvin Williams Ejected After Altercation
August 22, 2020
Both James Ennis and Marvin Williams were ejected Saturday during the second quarter of Game 3 of the first-round playoff series between the Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks.
After Magic center Nikola Vucevic missed a shot with the Bucks leading 53-34, Ennis and Williams got tied up under the basket and then got into an altercation:
As a result, the officials assessed them with double fouls and technical fouls, and they were both thrown out of the game.
Ennis started the game at small forward for the Magic with Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac out because of injury, while Williams had come in off the bench for Milwaukee.
Prior to the ejection, Ennis had recorded one point and two rebounds in nine minutes, while Williams had no points, two rebounds and one block in six minutes.
Williams is a more accomplished NBA player than Ennis, but it can be argued that Ennis was a bigger loss for the Magic than Williams was for the Bucks because of the injuries Orlando is dealing with at forward currently.
With Ennis out for the rest of Game 3, the Magic will likely have to lean on reserve small forward Wes Iwundu, who is a 2017 second-round pick in his third NBA season.
Ennis is in the midst of his first season with the Magic following a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. In 20 regular-season games for Orlando, Ennis averaged 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists while playing strong defense.
Williams is a 34-year-old veteran in the midst of his 15th NBA season and first with the Bucks after getting acquired from the Charlotte Hornets. Williams put up 4.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in 17 regular-season contests for Milwaukee.
He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, and although he never reached superstar status, Williams has been a steady player throughout his career and owns career averages of 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
While Williams is a nice asset off the bench for the Bucks, the presence of starting forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton relieved the sting of losing him a bit.
The Bucks were well on their way to going up 2-1 in the series at the time of the ejections, and the advantage will rest with them if both players are punished any further by the NBA beyond getting tossed from Saturday's game.