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Bennedict Mathurin. Mat Hayward/Getty Images for adidas Basketball
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin disagreed with a foul call late in his team’s 127-117 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, January 15, and he let official Natalie Sago know about it.
As a result, he’s been suspended one game without pay for “for making inappropriate contact with and verbally abusing a game official,” the NBA announced Thursday, January 16, in a release.
The incident came late in the fourth quarter as Mathurin, 22, chased down Cavaliers center Evan Mobley and attempted to block Mobley’s dunk attempt. Sago, 35, called Mathurin for a foul, causing the third-year player out of Arizona to immediately begin arguing, clapping directly behind Sago’s face and bumping into her.
Crew chief Zach Zarba confirmed after the game via an NBA pool report that Mathurin was “correctly called for” a foul after hitting Mobley.
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Sago assessed Mathurin with two technical fouls and ejected him from the game as his teammates held him back while he continued protesting the call.
It was actually his third technical of the game; he also received a technical foul earlier in the game for hanging on the rim and pulling himself up after a dunk.
Mathurin finished the game with 19 points and four rebounds.
The suspension will cost him $41,642, according to ESPN. Mathurin, however, is in the midst of his first pro contract, worth $29,936,173 over four years.
“It was the moment,” Mathurin said after the game. “The game is so intense, especially myself — being this competitive, I just want to win. It was an unfortunate situation, but I was able to learn from it.”
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Mathurin added that he has apologized to Sago.
“I went to see Natalie and everything’s all right,” he continued. “[I] wanted to apologize for the unfortunate situation. We were able to end on good terms. I wish her to have a great night, and the next time we meet, it’s all friendly.”
Sago has been a full-time NBA referee since 2018 when she became only the fifth woman ever to hold the position. She had officiated 233 career games coming into this season and earned NBA All-Star duties in 2022 — an assignment that goes to the best officials in the league.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle called the incident an “emotional moment.”
“It happens all the time … disagreement on a call,” he said. “[Mathurin] got run and we just move on.”
The Pacers’ next game is Thursday night, on the road against the Detroit Pistons. Mathurin will be eligible to return Saturday, January 18, at home in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
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