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Sacramento Kings rookie Thomas Robinson was ejected from Wednesday night's game against the Detroit Pistons after hitting Detroit forward Jonas Jerebko in the head and neck area with his elbow. The hit has been described as "vicious," and there seem to be few disputing such imagery.
The Kings were up 79-74 and the ball was out of play. Jerebko wasn't necessarily doing anything that ... elicited any kind of response from Robinson. Still, he got a huge elbow for his troubles, and was down on the court holding his neck. Officials immediately responded to the elbow and ejected Robinson on the spot.
Kings coach Keith Smart said that the ejection was the "best thing that could happen," to Robinson, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Smart said that any punishment handed down by the league would be a learning experience for the rookie.
Robinson had seven rebounds at that point in the game. He was ejected in the fourth quarter, though the Kings did go on to best Detroit by a score of 105-103. Below, we've got video of the illegal strike, which almost certainly will invoke league discipline in some form.
This story was originally published on SBNation.com.