Bennedict Mathurin made some waves last night when, after a foul call against him as he bumped Evan Mobley from behind on a layup attempt during the Indiana Pacers' 127-117 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he lost his cool. Mathurin went scorched earth on official Natalie Sago, yelling out expletives against her and then bumping her for good measure — warranting an immediate ejection from the game.
Mathurin, in fact, received three technical fouls last night in the Pacers' loss — one for “doing a pull-up or chin-up on the rim” and then two in quick succession for his outburst against Sago. And in the aftermath of his actions, the league has decided to suspend him for one game without pay for “inappropriate contact” with the referee, as announced by the official NBA Communications account on X (formerly known as Twitter).
The Pacers wing was also determined to have verbally abused the official, with lip readers on social media determining that Mathurin called Sago a “b***h” during his fiery rant that got him disqualified from participating any further in the contest. The NBA takes player-referee mutual respect seriously, and it was clear that Mathurin crossed a line with his actions on Tuesday night.
It's hard to imagine what was going through Mathurin's head when he lost his cool since it was apparent that he had fouled Mobley, knocking him off balance while in mid-air with a bump from behind. The Pacers youngster may have gotten a piece of the basketball, but it was the body contact that made it worthy of a foul call.
Now, the Pacers will be without one of their top scoring options in Mathurin when they take on the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard, and even TJ McConnell should receive extended minutes in Mathurin's absence especially amid Tyrese Haliburton's continued battle with a hamstring injury.
Pacers look to return to winning ways without Bennedict Mathurin

Bennedict Mathurin has established himself as a starter for the Pacers amid Aaron Nesmith's extended absence due to an ankle injury. Mathurin has been making up for lost time, averaging 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game on a career-best 57.5 percent true shooting, so he will be a big loss for when Indiana visits the Pistons tomorrow night.
Mathurin's absence would require more contributions from Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and TJ McConnell in the shot-creation/playmaking department. The Pistons are not a joke anymore, as they currently have a 21-19 record.