The Detroit Pistons have been losing games left and right in the 2023-24 NBA season but perhaps none was more painful than the one they suffered on Sunday at the hands of the Miami Heat when Bam Adebayo, of all people, drained a game-winnning 3-pointer at the buzzer to give his team a 104-101 win in Motor City.
Pistons' Evan Fournier hit with huge fine over his on-court reaction
The loss was so painful that Pistons shooting guard/small forward Evan Fournier kicked the ball as though he was auditioning for the Detroit Lions' punter job after the buzzer sounded. Unfortunately for Fournier, the brutal loss to the Pistons wasn't the only heartbreak he got from that game, as he has also been fined a dizzying amount of $25,000 for his aforementioned on-court action.
Evan Fournier has been $25,000 by the NBA for kicking the game ball into the stands at the conclusion of the Pistons-Heat game, where Bam Adebayo hit the game winning three at the buzzer.pic.twitter.com/8nLj8IsMH8
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 18, 2024
The NBA announced the punishment on Monday, ironically via Joe Dumars, who is currently serving as the league's Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations. Dumars, of course, is a Pistons legend who spent his entire 14-year career in the league with Detroit.
“Detroit Pistons guard Evan Fournier has been fined $25,000 for kicking the game ball into the spectator stands, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations. The incident occurred following the conclusion of the Pistons’ 104-101 loss to the Miami Heat on March 17 at Little Caesars Arena.”
Perhaps what made the loss to the Heat even more frustrating for Fournier is the fact that he scored the most points in a game this season thus far in that contest. He finished the game with 18 points coming off the bench, shooting 6-for-14 from the field and hitting four of his eight attempts from behind the arc. He also added four rebounds, an assist, and three steals in the 31 minutes he spent on the floor.
Fournier has been playing in the NBA since 2012, so he should have known better than to punt the ball into the air while on the court. But the pent-up frustrations he carried with him from all the losing he's experienced in Pistons threads got the best of him on that day. Nevertheless, it is a lesson learned for the 31-year-old shooter, who was traded to Detroit by the New York Knicks ahead of last February's trade deadline.
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