LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Dallas Mavericks prodigy Luka Doncic has been fined $10,000 for kicking a ball into the stands during his team’s defeat by the Indiana Pacers, the NBA confirmed Tuesday.
The NBA confirmed the punishment in a brief statement from Kiki VanDeWeghe, the league’s executive vice president of basketball operations.
Slovenian teenager Doncic, 19, has lit up the NBA this season following a series of superb performances which have belied his tender years.
However Doncic was handed his first ejection in an NBA game after losing his cool in the third quarter of the Mavericks’ 111-99 loss to the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
He was tossed for a second technical foul after booting a ball into the spectator stands.
“It’s one of the baddest games I’ve played, so, yeah, I was frustrated for sure,” Doncic said later.
Mavs coach Rick Carlisle expressed sympathy for Doncic but warned he would be expected to control his frustration in future.
”Frustrated, obviously, but it’s a situation that he’s got to avoid,” Carlisle said. ”There’s going to be nights like that. He’s got to keep playing the game. We need him. We can’t afford to lose a guy like that.”
