The San Antonio Spurs had to finish out Game 4’s loss to the Denver Nuggets without DeMar DeRozan on the floor. The star guard drove towards the basket and got called for a charge. DeRozan took exception to the call and immediately chucked it towards referee Scott Foster. The ball proceeded to go into the crowd and DeRozan was ejected.
DeMar DeRozan ejected after throwing fastball at ref Scott Foster pic.twitter.com/B6iPUiowjN
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 20, 2019
On Sunday, DeRozan was fined $25,000 for throwing the ball at Foster. The NBA has always taken a stance against players showing up referees, and chucking a ball in the refs direction definitely falls into that category.
Spurs' DeMar DeRozan has been fined $25,000 by NBA for throwing ball toward official on Saturday night.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 21, 2019
The ref in question that called the foul on DeRozan, Foster, is not well liked by players or fans, so it’s not surprising to draw a player’s ire. That said, no matter who makes this call, DeRozan can’t respond in this way. It only resulted in a fine, but if the ball had injured someone in the stands or hit Foster, then it’s not a stretch to assume the league would have made this an even more harsh punishment.
Game 5 will return to Denver on Tuesday with the series tied at two games. The Spurs will look to re-take control of the series so they can head back to San Antonio for a clinching Game 6.
