The NBA has fined Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla following a verbal altercation with an official after the team’s 117-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. While Celtics star Jaylen Brown also expressed frustration with the officiating, Mazzulla was the only one penalized for his actions.
Mazzulla will pay a $35,000 fine for the incident, which occurred at the conclusion of the game. During the altercation, he directed NSFW remarks toward a game official while others attempted to hold him back. The NBA announced the fine on Saturday afternoon in a statement released by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations.
“Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been fined $35,000 for aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language toward a game official,” the statement read. “It was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations. The incident occurred after the Celtics’ 117-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 19 at TD Garden.”
