It was an ugly loss for the Boston Celtics to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night that was made even uglier due to Marcus Smart getting ejected.
Now, the veteran guard is paying the price for his antics.
The NBA announced Thursday that it fined Smart $35,000 for inappropriate language toward an official. Smart received his second technical of the contest for chirping at a referee as he walked off the court while being subbed out with 2:46 remaining in the third quarter.
Smart vehemently disagreed with a call that prevented him from shooting two free throws. With the Celtics trailing by 28 points at that moment, frustrations definitely boiled over for Smart, as after being ejected he had to be held back by interim head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Prior to Boston's road matchup Thursday night with the Dallas Mavericks, Mazzulla was asked if he had to have a conversation with Smart after he was fined by the league. Instead, Mazzulla had just a quick word with the current longest-tenured Celtic.
"I gave him a hug and told him I loved him," Mazzulla told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston.
This is far from the first time Smart has been fined over his nine-year NBA career. According to NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg, Smart has been fined close to half a million dollars in his career.
Smart has company in the Boston sports world for being reprimanded by the league office, though, as New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has seen his wallet become lighter recently due to fines assessed by the NFL.
