Carlisle apologized to Mejri for confrontation after center's ejection

With so much animosity pervading the NBA of late, it's refreshing to see a couple guys make up.

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle apologized for the way he interacted with frustrated center Salah Mejri during the Mavs' 98-75 beatdown of the Washington Wizards after Mejri received two technical fouls through the first 10 minutes, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.

"I had a long talk with Salah about what happened and apologized to him for behavior that was really emotional, uncalled for, and unprofessional on my part," Carlisle said. "He's one of our best competitors. Things got heated. Conflict sometimes can bring out communication, which is what I'm hoping comes from this. But I want to make sure that he understands and all our fans understand how important he is to our team and how sorry I am about what happened when he was ejected."

Mejri approached the Mavericks' bench after the ejection, which prompted Carlisle to yell out to his player: "You have two f---ing points. Get the f--- out of here."

"Competitiveness in heated NBA games can sometimes bring out uncontrolled emotions," Carlisle added. "It can happen to players and it can happen to coaches. None of us are perfect and we have to talk it out, and work it out. The reality is he's been one of our most productive players in recent weeks from a plus-minus standpoint and he knows that. We need him."

Mejri had two points and four boards prior to the ejection.