Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. was handed a $10,000 fine by the NBA on Sunday following what was discovered to be “inappropriate language” directed at a referee during Friday's overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, per USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter.
NBA fines Suns F Kelly Oubre $10,000 for directing inappropriate language toward a referee at the end of Phoenix's 108-107 overtime loss to the Nuggets.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) October 27, 2019
The 23-year-old Oubre Jr. fouled out of the contest—along with two other members of the Suns, point guard Ricky Rubio and center Aron Baynes—contributing to the extra-period loss for Phoenix.
The Suns, despite winning their first game and recently Saturday evening's matchup with the dangerous Los Angeles Clippers, are not exactly in a good space considering their No. 1 pick from the 2018 draft, All-Rookie first team center DeAndre Ayton, has been suspended for 25 games after being caught using a diuretic. Oubre's fine adds another headache to a team constantly battling more threats to stability for the the Western Conference franchise.
The Suns acquired Oubre, a first-round pick in the 2015 draft, from the Washington Wizards in December 2018 with Austin Rivers (later waived) for forward Trevor Ariza. In Friday loss to the Nuggets, Oubre scored 23 points on 12 shots along with pulling down eight rebounds and dishing a pair of assists before he picked up his sixth, and final, personal foul.
Feeling overmatched by Denver and apparently the officials, Oubre lashed out against a referee, explaining the sudden slap and loss of $10,000 from his bank account.
Playing in their second game of a back-to-back, Oubre scored 20 points in a home win against the Clippers.
Oubre and the Suns will look to continue their winning ways when they host the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
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