Cam Johnson's preseason ended a bit earlier than might have been expected.
The 6-foot-8 Denver Nuggets wing elbowed Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves in the third quarter of the teams' preseason finale at Crypto.com Arena while cutting across the paint while Jamal Murray was in the post. Johnson was whistled for the foul, his second of the game. Though the contact seemed incidental, the referees disagreed and upgraded the call to a flagrant 2 after review, giving Reaves two shots and possession and sending the 28-year-old Johnson to the locker room.
Cam Johnson was ejected from the game following this elbow to the face of Austin Reaves.
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 17, 2026
This was ruled a Flagrant 2. pic.twitter.com/WmVaNpuMyM
The ruling was a surprise to the announcers, to fans and even to Reaves himself, apparently. But nevertheless, Johnson shook the hands of his teammates as he walked off the court without protest.
Cameron Johnson elbows Austin Reaves to the face off the ball, and is ejected upon review (with many replays, including Hawk Eye's view)
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) October 17, 2026
In a preseason game.
Cam went to shake hands with his teammates before leaving. pic.twitter.com/gnySgbxRSJ
He finished the night 5-for-8 from the floor (2-for-4 from deep) for 12 points, three rebounds, an assist, steal and turnover.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cam Johnson's ejection for elbow on Austin Reaves left everyone surprised