The NBA reports it fined veteran Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart $35,000 for “directing inappropriate language toward a game official” per messaging from Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars via the league’s official communications account on Twitter.
Per NBA communications, the “incident, for which Smart was assessed a second technical foul and ejected, occurred with 2:46 remaining in the third quarter of the Celtics’ 150-117 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 3 at Paycom Center.” The Flower Mound native had been T’d up previously. After vigorously protesting a potential shooting foul, he earned a trip to the locker room.
Smart needed to be restrained by interim head coach Joe Mazzulla and teammate Sam Hauser upon hsi ejection, clearly launching some inaudible protests in the direction of the official with gusto.
How the Celtics respond to losses against the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder may go a long way toward determining whether the Celtics break out of their slump longer term https://t.co/l4oKFE5IYJ
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 5, 2023
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