Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, and a $25,000 fine after tossing the ball into the stands during the Nets 105-98 win over the Indiana Pacers Friday night.
Saturday, the NBA announced Durant would be fined for his indiscretion at the 3:40 mark of the third quarter after being fouled.
“I tried to hit it off of the backboard, but I still shouldn’t have even did that. I don’t know what I was thinking,” said Durant after the game. “I can’t do that. I could have cost my team the game.”
“I think I saw Kevin Durant wind up and throw the ball overhand, 10 or 15 rows into the stands, and not get ejected. I think that’s what I saw. And so that was shocking,” said first-year coach Rick Carlisle during the post-game interviews.
“I’m not going to share the explanation because I don’t want to embarrass the officials,” Carlisle added. “I don’t want to embarrass the league. These guys are nice guys. They just made a big error. The league will address it. You don’t want to hear the explanation. And at this point, it doesn’t matter because it’s not going to change the outcome. But it’s something that’s a significant thing that just can’t be missed, that’s all.”
During the game, coach Carlisle approached the refs, but Durant was only assessed a technical foul and continued to play.
“In real time, the official that made the call did not think the ball entered the stands with force,” said crew chief Sean Wright after the game. “After seeing the video postgame, we did see that the ball did go into the stands with force, and Kevin Durant should have been ejected.”
Durant said he didn’t realize he could be fined for tossing the ball and did expect a fine.
The 3-3 Nets take on Detroit Sunday while the Pacers will try to get back on track against the Spurs on Monday.