Kawhi Leonard Reacts to Getting a Rare Technical Foul

Kawhi Leonard was very bizarrely called for a technical foul against the Thunder.

If there's one thing Kawhi Leonard very rarely receives in his career, it's technical fouls. A player who hardly ever complains or voices concerns, it was very shocking to see him receive a tech against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers were unexpectedly called for three technical fouls in one possession in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Leonard was fouled on a three-point play that wasn't called and was upset at the officials for not calling the foul. He was then immediately called for a technical foul, by an official who failed to call the original foul. It was a huge momentum-shifting sequence that ultimately caused the Clippers to lose Terance Mann for the rest of the game and gave the Thunder three free throws - in a game that the Clippers lost by one point.

After the game, Kawhi Leonard was asked about the technical foul, and his response raised even more eyebrows.

"I just thought I got fouled," Leonard said. "He said that he gave me the tech because I clapped in his face, but it didn't really look like I was in his face. And I was running back to the other end."

According to Kawhi, the referee even apologized for his actions.

"He came back in the second half and said it was his bad," Leonard said. "With T-Mann, I really didn't see him do anything too malicious out there, so I don't know why he got thrown out either."

At the end of the day, the referee's apology doesn't mean anything when the Clippers lost by one point and had to finish the game without Terance Mann. What should mean something is that referees need to have more accountability this season and be less reactionary.

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