Los Angeles Lakers guards Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard were fined by the NBA on Monday for criticism of officiating following a playoff loss at Houston, the league announced.
Smart was fined $35,000 for questioning the integrity of game officials. Smart complained to referee James Williams about unnecessary ejections.
Kennard was fined $25,000 for directing inappropriate language toward referees.
Both incidents took place in the moments after Houston's 115-96 triumph over the Lakers on Sunday, which lifted the Rockets within 3-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference first round playoff series.
The Lakers can advance to the second round with a home victory over the Rockets on Wednesday.
The Rockets avoided a sweep but must win on Wednesday to force a sixth game on Friday at Houston.
A winner-take-all seventh game, if needed, would be played on Sunday in Los Angeles.
js/jgc
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.