Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin has been fined $15,000 for his verbal abuse toward a referee in a road game against the Utah Jazz on Monday, according to an official press release from the NBA:
NEW YORK — Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin has been fined $15,000 for verbal abuse of a game official, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
Griffin logged 35 minutes in the 100-94 loss, scoring 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field, four assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block. His run-in with the ref came at the end of the game:
A lot has been said about the officiating in the NBA this season. Referees have been instructed to call the games a bit tighter, and to not take any flak from players. Several of the league's biggest stars, including Kevin Durant, have been ejected from games during the first half of this campaign.
Griffin has made 41 appearances with the Pistons this season (all starts), racking up averages of 25.5 points on 48.0 percent shooting from the field (36.1 percent from beyond the arc), 8.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 36.1 minutes per outing.
The Pistons (19-24 and third in the Central Division standings) will be back in action on Friday night, when they'll host the Miami Heat. Tip-off inside Little Caesars Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
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