Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane spiked a basketball off the head of Onyeka Okongwu and was ejected in the third quarter of a 127-112 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
The incident occurred Tuesday in Atlanta. Bane recorded nine points, three rebounds and two assists prior to his ejection. Okongwu supplied 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Hawks.
"A hard foul," Bane told reporters. "I swiped at the ball and it happened to hit him. And they made the call that they made."
Bane and the Magic trailed 79-65 with about 5:24 remaining in the third quarter at the time of the exchange. The veteran guard missed a 3-point attempt to start the sequence.
Hawks forward Jalen Johnson pulled down a rebound and tossed a long pass ahead for Okongwu. The Hawks forward caught the ball in the paint, took one dribble and went up for a shot, but lost possession because Bane grabbed his left arm. Bane proceeded to swat the ball out of the air and into Okongwu's head as he fell to the ground.
Players from both teams briefly exchanged words, but eventually separated as Bane was ejected. The Magic guard later said he was surprised by the ejection.
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting anything beyond a foul, honestly," Bane said.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said he would not speak to Bane about the incident, when asked for his perspective after the loss.
"I thought he was just trying to make sure the guy didn't go up to get an And-1," Mosley said of Bane. "Hard foul. That's all I saw of that from my vantage point."
The Hawks, who led by as many as 25 points, outshot the Magic 55.6% to 43.4%, including a 43.3% to 32.4% edge from 3-point range. The Magic held a 41-34 advantage in rebounding in the loss.
Magic forward Paolo Banchero scored a game-high 22 points, with 11 rebounds and eight assists. Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 21 and 20 points, respectively, in the victory.
The Hawks (4-4) will host the Toronto Raptors (4-4) in the NBA Cup at 7:30 p.m. EST Friday in Atlanta. The Magic (3-5) will host the Boston Celtics (3-5) in the NBA Cup at 7 p.m. Friday in Orlando, Fla.