Pacers’ Paul George fined $10,000 for criticizing officials

Pacers forward Paul George has been fined $10,000 for public criticism of officials after Indiana’s loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

Pacers forward Paul George has been fined $10,000 for public criticism of officials after Indiana’s loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, the league announced Thursday.

George aired his frustrations to reporters after the Pacers lost 106–99 in their opening game.

“We felt like there were a lot of bad calls,” George said after the game, as reported by Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. “Close games like that, let us play. You’ve got a guy like [Kyle] Lowry who’s down on one end doing what he wants and then on the other end, he gets touched and the whistle’s getting blown. We (were) frustrated. We (were) very frustrated.”

Both George and Pacers guard George Hill received technical fouls in the game for arguing calls. 

George was also finedfor criticizing officials during the Eastern Conference Finals in 2014 against Miami, reports Buckner.

The Pacers open at home against the Grizzlies on Thursday night.

- Jeremy Woo