Moments before the Indiana Pacers (22-19) saw their six-game winning streak come to an end versus the Cleveland Cavaliers (34-5), Bennedict Mathurin was ejected. The valuable wing clearly fouled big man Evan Mobley in the fourth quarter but ardently protested the call to official Natalie Sago. He bumped her and was immediately assessed his second technical foul of the night, per ClutchPoints.
It is difficult to surmise what exactly upset Mathurin to the point where he blatantly lost his temper, but the NBA could have something to say about the incident. He scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting while posting four rebounds, one steal and one block in 31 minutes. The Pacers trailed 120-11 at the time of his ejection and ultimately lost the home matchup by a score of 127-117.
Pacers did not have enough to edge out the NBA-leading Cavaliers
Tyrese Haliburton sat out with hamstring tightness, which he sustained in Sunday's win over the Cavs, but Indiana still packed a strong offensive punch. The team shot just under 43 percent from beyond the 3-point line, registered 30 assists and scored 26 fast break points. But foul trouble proved to be its undoing, with Cleveland sinking 26-of-31 attempts from the free throw line. A firmer defensive presence could have helped, too.
Backcourt mates Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland combined for 59 points and Mobley notched a 22-13 double-double. Pascal Siakam countered with a productive showing– 23 points, seven boards and four assists– but the Pacers could not make a full recovery in this one.
They next head to Little Caesars Arena for a Thursday night face-off with the clutch Detroit Pistons (21-19). Hopefully, Bennedict Mathurin can cool off by then and make amends for his outburst. Head coach Rick Carlisle surely wants him focused on the task at hand, especially in light of Haliburton's hamstring injury.
The No. 6 overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft is averaging 16.5 points on 45.8 percent shooting with 6.1 rebounds this season. Mathurin should not have to wait long before finding out if the league will fine him for bumping a referee.