Indiana Pacers guard Benedict Mathurin Disagreed with a foul call late in his team's 127-117 loss Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday, January 15, and he's official Natalie Sago Know about it
As a result, he was suspended one game without pay for "inappropriately contacting and verbally abusing a game official." NBA Thursday, January 16, announced in a release.
The incident came late in the fourth quarter when Mathurin, 22, chased down the Cavaliers' center. Evan Mobley and tried to block Mobley's dunk attempt. Sago, 35, called Mathurin for a foul, prompting the third-year player out of Arizona to immediately start an argument, directly slapping Sago in the back of the face and shoving him.
crew chief Zach Zarba Confirmed after playing through a NBA Pool Report That Mathurin was "correctly called" for a foul after hitting Mobley.
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Sago assessed Mathurin with two technical fouls and ejected him from the game as his teammates held him back as he continued to protest the call.
It was actually his third technical of the game; He also received a technical foul earlier in the game for hanging on the rim and pulling himself up after a dive.
Mathurin finished the game with 19 points and four rebounds.
The suspension will cost him $41,642, according to ESPN. Mathurin, however, is in the midst of his first pro contract, worth $29,936,173 over four years.
Mathurin said after the match, “That was the moment. “The game is very intense, especially me — being this competitive, I just want to win. It was an unfortunate situation, but I learned from it."
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Mathurin added that he apologized to Sago.
"I went to see Natalie and everything was fine," he continued. “(I) wanted to apologize for the unfortunate situation. We ended up on good terms. I wish him a great night and next time we meet, it's all amicable."
Sago has been a full-time NBA referee since 2018 when she became only the fifth woman to hold the position. He entered this season with 233 career hits and earned runs NBA All-Stars Duty in 2022 - an assignment that goes to the best officials in the league.
Pacers coach Rick Carlyle called the incident an "emotional moment".
"It happens all the time ... disagreements on a call," he said. "(Mathurin) ran and we just kept going."
The Pacers next game is Thursday night, on the road against the Detroit Pistons. Mathurin will be eligible to return home on Saturday, Jan. 18 for a game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
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