On February 17, Beijing time, in the face of the former owner Rockets, Paul was expelled. In the third quarter, Paul was expelled for two consecutive technical fouls.
With 9:07 left in the third quarter, Paul counter-attacked and advanced, passing to Ayton being snatched by his opponent, who expressed his displeasure that the Rockets had fouled. Paul walked up to the referee, chattering, and the referee didn't hesitate to give a technical foul directly.
After being blown technical foul, Paul did not relent and continued to complain to the referee. He followed the referee and the two collided, and from the slow-motion replay, Paul bumped the referee from behind. However, it is not clear whether he meant it or not.
However, the referee showed no mercy, and a second technical foul directly expelled Paul from the field. Paul was still holding his hand when he was expelled, and it seems that when he passed the ball, he was hit by the opponent and the referee did not award a penalty, which made him quite dissatisfied.
For the referee's judgment this time, the US media "Overtime" issued a face-covering expression, questioning the referee's strictness. Fans also believe that the penalty for this technical foul is controversial and it seems that Paul did not intend to bump into it. Of course, there are also fans who believe that the penalty is accurate, and Paul should be expelled when he hits the referee.