Paul George (R) let his emotions get the best of him Saturday night (Getty)
The Indiana Pacers controlled their game against the Chicago Bulls Saturday night from start to finish, winning by the final score of 111-94 with guard Jeff Teague leading the way with 21 points and six assists. But the victory, which was the Pacers’ third of the season, was marred by the actions of forward Paul George as he was ejected with 1:42 remaining in the third quarter.
With the Pacers leading 81-61 George was called for a foul on Bulls forward Jimmy Butler. Frustrated with the call, George kicked the basketball out of anger and ended up hitting a fan sitting in the stands behind the basket. George did go into the stands to apologize to the fan shortly after kicking the ball. Below is video of the incident, captured by Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated.
Pacers’ Paul George ejected for kicking ball into stands and hitting fan in face
George was ejected from the game as a result, and on Tuesday the NBA announced that he has been fined $15,000. On Monday Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins was fined $25,000 for walking into the stands and throwing his mouthpiece in anger over a foul call during a game last Saturday. Cousins’ throw did not hit a fan, as was the case with the ball kicked by George Saturday night.