Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets (Getty Images via AFP)
LOS ANGELES – The National Basketball Association has slapped Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant with a $25,000 fine for tossing the ball into the stands at the Barclays Center arena on Friday night.
Durant was hit with the fine for a play that officials said following the game should have led to his ejection but didn’t.
Durant finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in a team-high 37 minutes of playing time as the Nets beat the Indiana Pacers 105-98.
Durant was fouled with 4:40 left in the third quarter. Instead of handing the ball to the referee he launched it into the stands.
Durant was called for a technical foul, but crew chief Sean Wright said after the game that he should have been thrown out.
“In real time, the official that made the call did not think the ball entered the stands with force. 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,” Wright said.