NBA fines four players ejected in Jazz-Pacers scuffle

The NBA has issued fines totaling $110,000 to four players who were ejected following an altercation during Thursday’s game between the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz.

Jazz center Rudy Gobert was slapped with a $35,000 fine for his role in the scuffle, while his teammates Joe Ingles and Donovan Mitchell were fined $30,000 and $20,000 respectively. On the Pacers side, center Myles Turner was hit with a penalty of $25,000.

Gobert started it

Gobert received the biggest amount because after reviewing the play, the NBA ascertained that he instigated the confrontation by pulling Turner to the ground by his shorts after Turner blocked his shot in the fourth quarter.

No foul was called at that point, leading to Turner going after the Frenchman. Turner’s violation was found to be “escalating” the situation by chasing down and pushing the Jazz big man.The two centers had to be pulled apart by officials. They were both given technical fouls and then ejected.

Hot-headed Mitchell

Mitchell was handed the second-biggest penalty for “verbally taunting an opponent,” as it took the shooting guard some time to calm down.

Ingles was punished fo “making inappropriate contact” with an official during the encounter. He made contact with a referee, Ed Malloy, which merited an automatic ejection whether it was on purpose or by accident. The Australian looked like he shoved the official as he joined the melee, but Malloy decided that the contact was not intentional.

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Mitchell and ingles were also dismissed from the game, along with being given single technical fouls.

It was the third time for Gobert to be thrown out of a game, the second for ingles and Mitchell, and the first for Turner.

The confrontation took place with only four minutes left in the game. Members of both teams flocked to the court as the scene developed, but no further violence took place.

Indiana went on to seal the victory over Utah, 111-100.