Clarkson, Holland fined for altercation

NEW YORK (AFP) — Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson and Detroit’s Ron Holland II and Paul Reed were fined by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Saturday for their roles in a recent on-court altercation.

The Thursday incident, which brought Clarkson and Pistons forward Holland technical fouls and ejections and a technical foul for Reed, came with 97 seconds remaining in the third quarter of Utah’s 126-119 victory at Detroit.

Clarkson was fined $35,000 for escalating an on-court altercation and throwing his headband into the stands after being ejected.

Holland was fined $25,000 for escalating the scuffle while Pistons center Reed was fined $15,000 for initiating the altercation.

Clarkson, an American of Filipino heritage, has averaged 15.1 points, 3.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds a game for the Jazz, who are 14th in the Western Conference at 6-20.

Holland, a 19-year-old rookie taken fifth in this year’s NBA Draft, averages 6.3 points and 3.1 rebounds a game while Reed averages 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Pistons, who at 11-17 are 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Also getting penalized was Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton for league rule violations.

Mazzulla was fined $35,000 for “aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language toward a game official,” the league said in a statement.

Mazzulla took the actions at the end of reigning NBA champion Boston’s 117-108 home loss to Chicago.

Claxton’s punishment, amounting to $25,000, was for throwing the game ball into the spectator seating area.

In the game, Claxton was whistled for a technical foul and ejected after the incident, which came with 8:46 remaining in the second quarter of the Nets’ 101-94 triumph at Toronto.

The 25-year-old American, in his sixth NBA season all with Brooklyn, is averaging 9.5 points and 7.4 rebounds a game.

The Celtics rank third in the NBA and second in the Eastern Conference at 21-6 while the Nets rank 10th in the East at 11-16.