WASHINGTON — Four players were ejected late in the second quarter of Saturday’s matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Washington Wizards following the escalation of an on-court skirmish.

After an initial fracas along the baseline between Thunder forward Jaylin Williams and Wizards forward Justin Champagnie, several other players joined a scrum that spread across both teams less than a minute before halftime.

Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, who was nearby as the ball was set to be inbounded, got involved shortly after, exchanging words and contact with Champagnie that spilled into the rows of fans near the baseline. A portion of the pile landed on a video cameraman who was seated a few feet beyond the baseline.

Wizards forward Anthony Gill and Thunder guard Cason Wallace got involved, making contact with players in the scrum.

Williams and Champagnie were each assessed two technical fouls, receiving automatic ejections.

Mitchell and Wallace each received a single technical and were ejected “for not acting as peacemakers and escalating the altercation,” crew chief John Goble told a pool reporter after the game.

“I’ve never seen him like that,” reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of Mitchell. “But at the same time, I’m not really surprised by his reaction. He’s a tough kid, tough as nails. Not only on the court, but off the court as well. He’s as tough as they come, so I knew there’d be no back down when he’s involved in anything.”

Gill did not receive a technical foul.

During the pool report, Goble was asked why Gill did not receive a penalty. Goble answered: “It was observed that Wallace pushed Gill into the altercation, and after falling to the floor, it was not observed that Gill did anything in an unsportsmanlike manner to assess a penalty.”

Gill played a total of 26 minutes, and he scored 13 points and collected five rebounds.

“I think it was unlucky,” Oklahoma City center Isaiah Hartenstein said. “Anytime someone, from my point of view, gets punched in the face or hooked in the face, you have to stand up for one another. I don’t think all three guys should’ve got ejected and only one of them (Wizards) got ejected.

“At the end of the day, that’s the refs’ job to kinda make sure it doesn’t get to that point. But we just have to trust the refs and kinda go from there.”

The Thunder were leading 68-63 when the scuffle broke out, and the Thunder won the game 132-111.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault lingered near center court at halftime for an extended discussion about the sequence. Postgame, Daigneault said, “I disagreed with their judgment after talking to them and watching it at halftime.”

Daigneault noted that he’s “worked with John Goble a long time,” and that they worked through the ejections before “agreeing to disagree.”

When Washington coach Brian Keefe was asked about the scuffle, he said he did not see much of it. “I just know that our guys stuck up for each other, which I always love,” Keefe said.

Saturday night’s fracas was the third skirmish Oklahoma City has been involved in since January, when Thunder guard Lu Dort and New Orleans rookie Jeremiah Fears had a postgame altercation on Jan. 27 that resulted in the two each being fined $25,000.

In March, Dort was ejected after tripping Denver center Nikola Jokić, which escalated into a scrum that brought Williams and Jokić face-to-face. Both Williams and Jokic were assessed technical fouls.

“It’s a combination of things,” said Hartenstein, asked about the frequency of the Thunder’s recent confrontations. “We’re a physical team. Every time we play, I think there’s always a chip on the other team’s shoulder.

“We’re also not gonna back down against anything. I don’t really put anyone at fault for that — it just happens. We have a passionate group of guys, and every time we play, teams are coming with their best shot, and sometimes, it just gets physical.”