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Robin Lopez says he 'maybe' overreacted by slapping Chris Paul

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

New York Knicks center Robin Lopez got himself ejected from Friday's game after handling Chris Paul as he would a mascot.

Frustrated with the increasing chippiness and a cheap elbow from Paul that went uncalled, Lopez lashed out by connecting on a quick one-two combination against Paul, which promptly earned Lopez an early trip to the showers.

Related: Knicks' Robin Lopez ejected after hitting Chris Paul

After the game, Lopez admitted that his emotions got the best of him.

"Things were getting pretty chippy out there," Lopez told ESPN's Ian Begley. "It happened so fast. Kind of hard to recall, but maybe I overreacted a little bit. What happened, happened. I'm OK with it."

Lopez might have been OK with his overreaction, but the Clippers weren't. Paul said he got a busted lip and DeAndre Jordan wanted the 7-foot Lopez to pick on someone his own size.

"I was upset about it," said Jordan. "Chris is the smallest dude on the floor, and he's one of our leaders, so we've got to protect him."

The six-foot Paul might be short in stature, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for with a relentless competitiveness spirit that at times borders on reckless. Paul famously clocked Julius Hodge in the groin, and he has a well-documented propensity to flop.

On Friday, it was Paul that delivered an elbow to the rib cage of Lopez that incited the retaliation. Although that doesn't excuse Lopez's reaction, the lesson here is that if you play with fire, you might get burnt.

"Chris can be frustrating at times," Jordan admitted.

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