Kuminga Fined: $35K for Confrontation with Referee in Preseason Game

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Kuminga Fined for Inappropriate Contact with a Referee

The NBA has fined Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga $35,000 due to the actions that resulted in his ejection during the first half of a preseason game in Portland on Tuesday night. Kuminga showed his frustration after not getting a foul call on a shot attempt with seven seconds left in the second quarter. After stumbling while attempting a drive to the basket through two defenders and missing the layup, Kuminga immediately went to referee Rodney Mott, clapping in his face. Mott responded by ejecting Kuminga. The league sanctioned Kuminga for “making inappropriate contact with a game official and continuing to pursue him.”

I actually liked the ejection because I’ve been looking for a little more fire from Kuminga.

Steve Kerr, Warriors Coach
After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed that he “actually liked” the ejection, as he has been looking for that extra spark in Kuminga. “He needed it,” Kerr said. “It was a play of frustration. I have no problem with that. He deserved the foul. They were fouling him a lot. It was a physical game.” Kuminga, who recently renewed his contract with the Warriors for two years and $46.8 million, arrived at training camp a couple of days late. During the preseason, he has shown improvement in his game and had 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists at the time of his ejection. “The way he ran on the play of the ejection, the activity with which he played, the rebound,” Kerr commented. “That’s the JK who can really help our team, I loved how he played. I love the fire, the passion, I don’t mind the ejection at all.” It appeared that Kuminga’s arm had been hit during the play, but in the locker room after the game, he explained that what bothered him the most was that his right ankle was stepped on during the gather step. Kuminga severely sprained his right ankle last season and said he had a flashback of that injury when Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija accidentally stepped on him, causing him to lose his temper with the referee. “I wasn’t surprised he was ejected because he got right in [Mott]’s] face,” Kerr said. “You can’t do that. You’re going to get ejected if you do that.”
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