Brittney Griner, Rickea Jackson ejected after heated WNBA altercation

Phoenix Mercury veteran Brittney Griner and Los Angeles Sparks rookie forward Rickea Jackson had to be separated before halftime of Tuesday’s matchup.

Both players received double technicals, which resulted in automatic ejections, late in the second quarter of the Phoenix’s 85-81 win over Los Angeles.

With less than 20 seconds to play in the second quarter, Jackson and teammate Li Yueru were attempting to box out Griner, whose arm made contact with Jackson’s face after a made free throw by Mercury guard Celeste Taylor.

They came face-to-face on the court and Jackson pushed Griner’s arm away, with things escalating quickly from there.

The two exchanged words before they were separated by referees, coaches and players.

Phoenix veteran Sophie Cunningham was seen chirping in the direction of Sparks players while making a talking gesture with her hand. 

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It marked the first career ejection for Jackson, who has had a solid rookie season — averaging 13.4 points per game on 46.4 percent shooting, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

The seventh-seeded Mercury (19-20) face the fifth-seeded Storm (24-15) in Phoenix on Thursday in both teams’ final regular-season game before the playoffs begin.

The Sparks (7-32) take on the Lynx (30-9) in Minnesota to close out their season.

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Los Angeles will finish the regular season in last place and miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year and will qualify for the WNBA Draft lottery.

The Mercury-Lynx first-round playoff series begins Sunday.