Wizards G Thomas fined $25K for contact with official

The NBA has fined Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas $25,000 for making inappropriate physical contact with an official, the league announced Saturday. The punishment, announced by NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Kiki VanDeWeghe, was handed down after an incident in the Wizards' 122-103 home loss against Portland on Friday night.

Thomas was hit with a technical foul and was ejected with 10:32 left in the first quarter, becoming the first player tossed from a game within the first two minutes since Utah's Greg Ostertag at the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 8, 2002, per Elias. During the fight for a loose ball, Thomas and Portland's Carmelo Anthony became entangled. The Wizards guard knocked referee Marat Kogut into the crowd when he tried pulling away from Anthony.

The nine-year veteran is averaging 13.0 points and 4.4 assists per game in 25 games (22 starts) in his first season in Washington. He has also played for the Sacramento Kings (2011-14), Phoenix Suns (2014-15), Boston Celtics (2015-17), Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18), Los Angeles Lakers (2018) and Denver Nuggets (2018-19). The two-time All-Star owns a career 18.3 scoring average in 510 career games (346 starts). Thomas, 30, was also suspended two games by the NBA for entering the stands to confront two fans during a December game at Philadelphia when he went into the stands during a fourth-quarter timeout. Thomas said a fan used an obscene gesture and shouted obscenities at him during the game.

--Field Level Media