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          Los Angeles Lakers

          Lakers' Nick Young says frustration led to altercation

          • Baxter Holmes, ESPN Senior WriterDec 7, 2015, 04:02 AM
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              Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) is a senior writer for ESPN Digital and Print, focusing on the NBA. He has covered the Lakers, the Celtics and previously worked for The Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times.
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          AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Los Angeles Lakers reserve guard Nick Young was ejected from Sunday's 111-91 loss to the Detroit Pistons for shoving a player after being fouled on a drive to the basket.

          The play occurred with 8 minutes, 57 seconds left in the fourth quarter, when Young tried to dunk over Detroit's Anthony Tolliver, who fouled him. Young went down hard, got up and pushed Tolliver.

          Young was then assessed a flagrant foul 2, but he said he didn't think he'd be suspended for Monday's game against the Raptors in Toronto.

          "I didn't punch him or nothing," Young said. "I pushed him. It shouldn't be that bad."

          Though he pressed his forearm into Tolliver's throat, Young said, "It's still not his face, though."

          Young said the play stemmed from frustration, as the Lakers are now 3-17.

          "It's tough," he said. "There's a lot of frustration. It's a struggle and it's building up."

          He added, "Everything happened on that play. He just happened to be the one that sparked the incident."

          Lakers coach Byron Scott said he was surprised by Young's reaction.

          "Tolliver didn't really go after him, I thought," Scott said. "I just thought he went up and tried to contest his shot. He wasn't going to give him a layup. … I thought he probably overreacted a little bit."

          But Scott said he's sure frustration played a role.

          "I kind of sensed that when it happened, that it was more frustration than anything," Scott said. "It wasn't so much what Tolliver did. Because like it did, from my point of view, from where I was sitting, I didn't think it was that hard of a foul."

          Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson agreed that frustration is growing.

          "It's high," he said. "Nobody wants to lose."

          Clarkson added, "To be honest with you, nobody was moving the ball. We were all taking tough shots. I think that's why it shows up on the scoreboard like that. We were all forcing shots. We weren't playing together."

          The Lakers trailed 15-0 to start the game and then by as much as 30.

          Young played after being benched for the previous two games as Scott said he was "trying some other things."

          Young went scoreless in seven minutes, as he missed all three of his shots, and he said he was "shocked" that he played against the Pistons at all.