The NBA announced Friday that Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr., as well as coach Nick Nurse were each assessed $50,000 fines for their comments directed at officials following the team's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night.
The league's statement:
"Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse has been fined $50,000 for aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing game officials, and 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. has been fined $50,000 for verbally abusing and directing an obscene gesture toward game officials, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations."
The situation started when Oubre, Nurse and the rest of the Sixers felt that the forward was fouled on a potential game-winning play as time expired. As Oubre was driving to the basket, he collided with Clippers forward Paul George, but the officials didn't blow their whistles, and the final buzzer sounded giving L.A. the win. Immediately as the game ended, Oubre and Nurse walked toward the officials and Oubre in particular had some NSFW words for them after not calling a foul on the final play.
Describe this final possession in one word: ______ pic.twitter.com/aHIWDKhkuO
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 28, 2024
The officials admitted after the game that there should've been a foul call on Oubre's drive, which would've given him a chance to win the game at the free-throw line.
"On the last play on the floor, in real time the crew interpreted that play as the defender jumping vertically," crew chief Kevin Scott said in the postgame pool report. "However, in post-game video review we did observe some slight drift to his left by the defender George, and a foul should have been ruled."
During a postgame press conference Oubre was quick to apologize for the words he used, saying in part that he got caught up in the heat of the moment.
"First and foremost, heat of the moment, this is an intense basketball game, of course. We're not perfect, the refs aren't perfect," Oubre said after the game of his behavior. "I want to apologize for just losing my cool, because that's something I try to work on each and every day, and try to represent God in the best way I possibly can, and that wasn't it. I just ask for forgiveness.
"... At the end of the day it wasn't cool, so I'll take whatever penalties come with that and have to move on. But I've got to be better, in a sense."
After the game, Nurse explained his view of the situation.
"I think [Oubre] took it in there pretty hard, I looked at it on our computer a couple times, I thought it was certainly contact," Nurse said. "Certainly as much as the last two or three [fouls] that got called and-1's on the other end. And that's all, I just thought it was enough contact to call [a foul]."
Unfortunately for the Sixers, they dropped that game and now Oubre and Nurse will have slightly lighter pockets after their reactions to a call that the officials admitted should've gone their way.
