Benedict Mathurin.
Mat Hayward/Getty Images for adidas BasketballIndiana Pacers guard Benedict Mathurin disagreed with a foul call in his team’s late 127-117 loss Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, January 15, and released the official one Natalie Sago know about it.
As a result, he was suspended one game without pay for “inappropriate contact and verbal abuse of a game official,” NBA announced on Thursday, January 16, in a press release.
The incident occurred late in the fourth quarter when Mathurin, 22, was chasing the Cavaliers’ center Evan Mobley and tried to block Mobley’s dunk attempt. Sago, 35, called Mathura a foul, prompting the third-year player from Arizona to immediately fight back, clapping right behind Sago’s face and punching her.
Crew chief Zach Zarba confirmed after the match via an NBA pool report that Mathurin was “properly called” for a foul after hitting Mobley.
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Sago awarded Mathura two technical fouls and ejected him from the game as his teammates restrained him as he continued to protest the call.
It was actually his third technical match; earlier in the game he was also given a technical foul for hanging on the rim and pulling up after a dunk.
Mathurin finished the game with 19 points and four rebounds.
The suspension will reportedly cost him $41,642 ESPN. Mathurin, however, is in the midst of his first professional contract, worth $29,936,173 over four years.
“It was a moment,” Mathurin said after the game. “The game is so intense, especially me — being as competitive as I am, I just want to win. It was an unfortunate situation, but I could learn something from it.”
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Mathurin added that he apologized to Saga.
“I went to see Natalie and everything is fine,” he continued. “(I wanted to apologize for the unfortunate situation. We managed to end on good terms. I wish her a pleasant night, and the next time we meet, everything will be friendly.”
Sago has been a permanent NBA referee since 2018, when she became only the fifth woman in that position. She played 233 career games this season and earned NBA All-Star duties in 2022 — a task that goes to the league’s best officials.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle he called the incident an “emotional moment.”
“It happens all the time … a disagreement on a call,” he said. “(Mathurin) got away and we just move on.”
The next Pacers game is played on Thursday night, on the road at the Detroit Pistons. Mathurin will be able to return on Saturday, January 18, at home against the Philadelphia 76ers.