Magic guard Desmond Bane is ejected after throwing the ball to Onyeka Okongwu in loss to Hawks

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane was ejected in the second half of a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night after throwing a ball toward Onyeka Okongwu’s head.

Bane was chasing Okongwu on a fast break in the third quarter of the game at State Farm Arena, and on the way back he fouled the Hawks forward. Bane grabbed Okongwu’s arm and pulled him down the court, which initially drew the foul, but then managed to grab the ball with his free hand and throw it at Okongwu, who was already on the ground.

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This sparked a minor altercation below the rim, although officials brought the situation under control fairly quickly.

Bane was given a flagrant foul for his initial foul on Okongwu, then was hit with a technical for throwing the ball and was sent off. He finished with nine points and three rebounds. The Magic were down 14 points at the time. The Hawks took off from there to get the 127-112 victory.

Bane said after the match that he was “surprised” by the sending off.

“[It was] a hard foul. I mean, we talk about it, you know, no easy baskets, nothing at the rim, let them see the lights,” he said, via Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “A hard foul, I hit the ball and I just happened to hit it. And they made the call that they made.”

It is unclear whether Bane will face further sanctions from the league.

Bane, who has had a number of similar incidents in his career, was traded to the Magic in June in a blockbuster deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. Bane averaged 19.2 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting just under 40% from behind the arc last season in Memphis, where he began his career after going No. 30 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft out of TCU.

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The 27-year-old, however, has struggled in the last week. He was held to single-digit points in Orlando’s last three games while shooting just 3-of-9 from behind the arc combined.

Zaccharie Risacher led the Hawks with 21 points in the win, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with 20 points. All five starters also reached double figures, which helped get them back to 4-4 on the season. Paolo Banchero led the Magic with a near triple-double of 22 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Tristan da Silva added 20 points off the bench.

The Magic, now 3-5 on the season, host the Boston Celtics on Friday.