Bennedict Mathurin will be feeling the repercussions of some late-game drama with a referee.
The Indiana Pacers wing has been suspended one game by the NBA for making inappropriate contact with and verbally abusing a game official, the league announced Wednesday.
He’ll miss Thursday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.
The incident occurred late in the fourth quarter of Indiana’s 127-117 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Mathurin received three technical fouls in the outing, the final one for bumping into referee Natalie Sago while arguing a foul call.
The Montreal native earned his first technical earlier in the game for “the act of doing a pull-up or chin-up” on the rim, per crew chief Zach Zarba’s pool report after the game.
Mathurin was then handed his second and third technicals consecutively for unsportsmanlike behaviour toward a game official after he was correctly called for a foul on Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley by Sago in the fourth quarter.
The 22-year-old apologized after the game, however, saying that he made sure to make things right with the referee following the altercation.
“I went to see Natalie and everything, and everything’s alright,” Mathurin told reporters post-game. “Went to apologize for the unfortunate situation. We were able to end on good terms. I wish her to have a great night. The next time we meet it’s all friendly.”
Mathurin finished the game with 19 points in 31 minutes as the Pacers saw their six-game win streak snapped by the NBA-leading Cavaliers.
In 40 games for the Pacers this season, Mathurin is averaging 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
