NBA: Paul George fined $35,000 for ref criticism after Clippers loss

LA Clippers forward Paul George reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

NEW YORK — Paul George was fined $35,000 by the NBA on Thursday for saying the referees were “awful” and that the Clippers played against “the extra three” in their loss in Denver.

George scored a season-high 35 points in the Nuggets’ 111-108 victory in the NBA In-Season Tournament on Tuesday, then took aim at the officiating.

“I thought we played great. It’s tough, the adversity of playing against the extra three,” George said. “I thought they were awful but, the defending champs, we’ve got to play better.

“So many times I got hit on layups, 3-pointers. It was constant. Jump shots, getting hit, smacked on the forearm. It was a poor job.”

The NBA said the amount of the fine was based in part on George’s history of public criticism of the officiating.