Why the Pacers guard was ejected vs the Cavs

On January 16, 2025By Littum

Cheers roared around Gainbridge Fieldhouse when Pacers forward Benedict Mathurin sprinted down the court, dunked and hung on the rim off a fast break in the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

But what started as an exciting breakaway play turned into the first of Mathurin’s three technical fouls — the other two coming in an emotional moment with referee Natalie Sago with less than four minutes left to play.

“It was the moment,” Mathurin said. “The game is so intense, especially myself – being so competitive, I just want to win. It was an unfortunate situation, but I was able to learn from it.”

Maturity has been a focus for Mathurin in his third year with the Pacers. It’s a trait his teammates have praised him for. That maturity showed in moments in Tuesday’s 127-117 loss, like a quick block that spurred a Ben Sheppard 3-pointer in the third and was quick to defend out of transition.

But his immaturity stole the show, giving the Cavs five free-throw opportunities as a result of the three technicals and a personal foul that preceded the final technicals.

Referee Zach Zarba said via a pool report that the first technical was issued because Mathurin did a chin-up, meaning his entire head was above the rim, on the dunk. The second and third technical fouls, he said, came when Mathurin “after being properly called for a foul, received two technical fouls in a row — two consecutive technical fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct toward a referee.”

What happened: Mathurin was called for a personal foul on Cavs forward Evan Mobley, who made contact with Mobley as he was in shooting motion near the rim with less than four minutes left in the game. After the call, Mathurin approached Sago, appeared to clap and yell at her, then bumped into her.

Mathurin said he knew it was a mistake after watching the clip, but he was in the “heat of the game” at the time. He apologized to Sago after the match.

“I went to see Natalie and everything is fine,” he said. “(I) wanted to apologize for the unfortunate situation. We could end on good terms. I wish her a good evening and the next time we meet, it’s all friendly.”

One question still lingers about the second set of technicals, though: Should Mathurin have been issued three technicals in one game? It is not possible under NBA rules. But Zarba confirmed that Mathurin received three technicals during the fight: the first for the rim chin-up for unsportsmanlike conduct, then the two unsportsmanlike conduct violations against an official after the Mobley foul, although Zarba did not confirm any contact with Story.

Mathurin said he walked away from the situation with Sago understanding that he has big issues to worry about during the game, and getting a tech isn’t one of them.

The maturity of past plays and small throwback moments was evident in Mathurin’s postgame apology to Sago — and in how he viewed his third-quarter block, which came quickly after a turnover.

“I feel like every time I didn’t come out on a play, everything turned out pretty well,” he said. “It all started with my turnover and I just knew that trying to come back – I feel like it was a great place to redeem myself, but also for the team.”