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[Saba Sports News] Another NBA All-Star has been hit with a fine for criticizing officiating.
The NBA announced on Friday that Sacramento Kings star DeMar DeRozan has been fined $25,000 for publicly criticizing the referees.
The incident occurred after the Kings’ 116-110 road loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. DeRozan, who scored a game-high 35 points on 14-of-32 shooting, was frustrated with the officiating, particularly the free throw disparity—Sacramento attempted just 14 free throws compared to Denver’s 30.
“The refs were terrible,” DeRozan said postgame, per *The Sacramento Bee’s* Chris Biderman. “Terrible as s–t. We gotta do a better job of executing. [But] there were multiple [calls missed]. Check the free-throw difference.”
DeRozan further vented about the inconsistency in calls.
“There were a bunch of times we got hit, got smacked,” he added. “It was three, four shots I took—clearly got hit, got smacked. They get the same call on the other end. Throws off our whole rhythm. Gives them momentum at home. Makes it tough on us to execute. It was a game we should have had.”
DeRozan joins a growing list of players fined for openly criticizing officiating this season, as frustration with NBA referees continues to be a hot topic around the league.