Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart has been fined $35,000 for questioning the integrity of game officials and Luke Kennard has been fined $25,000 for directing inappropriate language towards game officials, it was announced on Monday by James Jones, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations of the NBA.
The incidents occurred following the conclusions of the Houston Rockets’ 115-96 victory over the Lakers in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday night at Toyota Center.
It was a chippy game as the Lakers looked to close out the Rockets with a sweep, and frustration with the officiating naturally came with that. Deandre Ayton was ejected in the third quarter for an elbow on Alperen Sengun after being issued a Flagrant 2 foul that even the Rockets star big man did not agree with.
Then in the final seconds of the blowout, Adou Thiero and Aaron Holiday got tangled up going for a rebound and exchanged some words with both also being ejected.
After the final buzzer, both teams had some more words for each other and the officials at center court. While nothing ultimately came of that, it appears Kennard said something to an official that led to him getting fined.
With the series now shifting back to L.A. for Game 5, it will be interesting to see if the chippiness picks up as the Lakers once again look to close out the series.
What caused Marcus Smart’s suspension?
Smart’s suspension came from comments he made postgame in the defense of Ayton, letting it be known that his ejection wasn’t right.
“It’s been tough with DA. We’ve been hard on him, he’s been hard on himself, you guys have been hard on him. It’s all good though. He’s been taking it an embracing it and trying to get better and better. Today, he showed that. We came out and relied on him a little bit more, he made plays for us and then obviously the ejection. We all understood it was some BS. That’s what we felt,” Smart said.
“He was just trying to brace himself, it’s two guys who are sweating their butts off playing the game and his arm slips up. But we’re proud of the way he handled it. That speaks volumes about who he is and his progression. He’s learning. He could’ve easily, and it probably would’ve been justifiable if he went off, right? But to keep his composure and stay positive, I think that’s only gonna help him and this team.”
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