NBA Official: Middleton Throws Mouthguard Toward Spectators, Fined $25,000

On March 8 Beijing time, the NBA officially announced that Dallas Mavericks forward Chris Middleton was fined $25,000 for throwing his mouthguard toward the spectator area.

The league stated that the incident occurred during Friday's Mavericks away game against the Orlando Magic, with 6:55 remaining in the third quarter. Middleton was immediately assessed a technical foul during the game, resulting in a $2,000 fine, and today an additional $25,000 fine was imposed.

According to a report by Dallas Morning News reporter Mike Curtis, Middleton made a turnover under Jalen Suggs' defense and was dissatisfied with the referee's decision not to call a foul. He threw his mouthguard near the Mavericks bench area; the mouthguard landed in front of a courtside fan and then slid toward assistant coach Jay Triano.

In this one-point loss, the 34-year-old Middleton scored 19 points and made 7 assists, while also committing 6 turnovers. He is in the final year of his contract with a salary of $33.3 million, so this fine has minimal impact on his financial situation.

Incidents of players throwing mouthguards occasionally occur. For example, in April 2022, Bridges of the Hornets received two technical fouls and was ejected from a game due to dissatisfaction with a referee's call. While leaving the court, he intended to throw his mouthguard at a male fan but "accidentally hit" a female fan nearby.

Bridges apologized immediately after the game and hoped someone could help him contact the female fan. Although Bridges quickly admitted his mistake, such actions are clearly prohibited by the league; he was fined $50,000 at that time.