By JONAS TERRADO
Jordan Clarkson was fined $25,000 (P1.2 million) by the NBA on Friday (Saturday Manila time) for shoving an official during a recent Utah Jazz home game against the Phoenix Suns.
The Fil-American guard got penalized after pushing referee Karl Lane with 10:58 left in the second quarter of the Jazz’s 106-95 loss to the Suns at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City.
Clarkson had just scored a basket when he intercepted an inbound pass intended for point guard Chris Paul. But as Clarkson was about to get hold of the possession, the ball bounced off Lane’s foot, resulting in an out-of-bound situation in favor of the Suns.
Frustrated over what transpired, Clarkson pushed Lane, who immediately slapped the Utah guard with a technical foul.
Clarkson seemed to have taken the incident in stride shortly after the Jazz bounced back Friday with a 106-100 win over the Los Angeles Clippers to complete their home stand.
“Great way to start 2021 ! a team win and $25K lighter!,” Clarkson said on his Instagram account.
He finished with nine points, five rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes for the Jazz. It was the first time that Clarkson failed to score in double-digits this season.
Utah is set for a seven-game road trip beginning with a visit to San Antonio to play the Spurs on Sunday (Monday Manila time).
