Los Angeles Lakers guards Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard were both fined for a verbal spat with the referees on the court immediately following L.A.’s 115-96 Game 4 loss to the Houston Rockets, the NBA announced Monday.
Smart was fined $35,000 for “questioning the integrity of game officials” and Kennard was fined $25,000 for “directing inappropriate language toward games officials,” according to James Jones, the league’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations.
Three players were ejected during Game 4 in Houston on Sunday and five players were assessed technical fouls between the two teams as the Rockets won for the first time in their first-round series.
The Lakers, which lead the Rockets 3-1, will host Game 5 on Wednesday in Los Angeles (10 p.m. ET, ESPN) with a chance to advance to the second round with a win.
