Pacers’ Benedict Maturin is ejected for a double technical foul after punching a referee

Moments ago Indiana Pacers (22-19) snapped their six-game winning streak against the team Cleveland Cavaliers (34-5), Benedict Maturin was kicked out. The hard-working wing flagrantly fouled big man Evan Mobley in the fourth quarter, but protested the call to official Natalie Sago vehemently. He hit her and was immediately assessed his second technical foul of the night, per ClutchPoints.

It’s hard to guess what exactly upset Maturin to the point where he apparently lost his temper, but the NBA might have something to say about the incident. He scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting and had four rebounds, one steal and one block in 31 minutes. The Pacers trailed 120-11 at the time of his ejection and ended up losing the home opener 127-117.

The Pacers did not have enough to overcome the NBA leading Cavaliers

Tyrese Haliburton sat out with a strained hamstringwhich he endured in Sunday’s win over the Cavs, but Indiana still had a strong offensive punch. The team shot just under 43 percent from the 3-point line, dished out 30 assists and had 26 fast break points. But foul trouble proved to be its undoing, as Cleveland sank 26 of 31 attempts from the free throw line. A firmer defensive presence could have helped as well.

Backcourt teammates Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland combined for 59 points, and Mobley posted a double-double going 22-13. Pascal Siakam responded with a productive result – 23 points, seven boards and four assists – but the Pacers were unable to fully recover in this matchup.

They next head to Little Caesars Arena for a Thursday night showdown Detroit Pistons clutch (21-19). We hope that Benedikt Maturin will be able to cool down by then and atone for his outburst. Head coach Rick Carlisle certainly wants to focus on the task at hand, especially in light of Halliburton’s hamstring injury.

The sixth pick in the 2022 NBA draft is averaging 16.5 points on 45.8 percent shooting and 6.1 rebounds this season. Mathurin shouldn’t have to wait long to find out if the league will fine him for hitting the referee.

Alec House is a sports journalist covering the NFL, NBA and MLB for ClutchPoints, providing a unique writing voice due to his deep knowledge of New York sports. Alex lives in Connecticut after graduating from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in journalism.