The Smoothie King Center crowd fell into stunned silence as the second quarter buzzer sounded on Thursday night, with the New Orleans Pelicans leading the Portland Trail Blazers 70-65. In a split-second sequence that turned the game on its head, Herb Jones—the Pelicans’ usually unflappable defensive anchor—found himself ejected for the first time in his NBA career.

It all happened on the final possession of the half. Portland’s Deni Avdija drove hard toward the rim and floated a shot from near the foul line, drawing contact from Jones and earning a foul call. Jones, visibly frustrated with the whistle, immediately turned to the officials to protest.

One referee quickly hit him with a technical foul for arguing. But Jones didn’t back down. He kept venting, and within seconds, another official slapped him with a second technical—automatic ejection. The arena erupted in a mix of boos and disbelief as Jones walked off the floor, leaving his team short-handed for the second half.

The call proved controversial, with many fans and observers questioning whether the second technical was warranted for what appeared to be a heated but not extreme reaction. Avdija calmly converted both technical free throws and one of his two regular ones, trimming New Orleans’ lead to just two points at the break.

Before exiting the game, Jones had been playing well on defense, recording one block. He was having a slow offensive night, though, logging four points on 2-9 shooting, but managed six rebounds, four of which were offensive, and logged a +5 plus/minus, showing his non-statistical impact.

He’s been having a down year in terms of efficiency, but his three-point percentage has improved from last year. He is also the best defender on the Pelicans, making him a vaunted asset for teams around the league.

In fact, the Los Angeles Lakers have actively pursued Jones to bolster their perimeter defense. According to one report, Jones is unlikely to be moved, though, since the front office that gave him a three-year, $68 million contract extension in July, signaling their belief in him as a part of their core.

New Orleans Pelicans Snap Skid, Stay Swinging Against Portland Trail Blazers

The New Orleans Pelicans entered tonight’s game buried in a seven-game losing streak, but the way they lost those games doesn’t indicate a broken team.

Despite missing star Zion Williamson, five of those losses came by single digits, two went into overtime, and the team almost came back from down twenty against the San Antonio Spurs before losing 135-132.

Even at their lowest point of the season so far, the Pelicans refuse to roll over, leaning on grit and pace to stay within striking distance.

The fight shows up most clearly in Herb Jones, as well as rookie big man Derik Queen, who logged the best performance of his young career in his last game: 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and four blocks.

29 of those points came after halftime as the team funneled their offense through him, with head coach James Borrego praising his poise on the glass and on defense. Queen later admitted the milestone meant a lot after missing the preseason due to injury.

The Blazers, before tonight’s loss, had won the past four matchups against New Orleans, including a 125-117 victory just last month, flipping a rivalry once owned by the Pelicans with seven straight wins.

Even with both sides battered by injuries to key players and searching for consistency, New Orleans managed to take the win at home, 143-120.