The NBA did not overlook Marcus Smart's behavior during the last Los Angeles Lakers game. The shooting guard for the Los Angeles team has been sanctioned with a $35,000 fine after making an obscene gesture directed at a game official during halftime of last Thursday's game, in which the Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz with a score of 143-135. The league officially announced the punishment this Saturday from its offices in El Segundo, California. The incident occurred during a moment of high tension. With the Lakers trailing 78-73 at the end of the second quarter, Smart got into a verbal altercation with one of the referees as they headed toward the locker room. It was during this walk that the player flipped the middle finger to the official, an action that earned him a technical foul—his third of the season—and allowed the Jazz to start the second half with a technical free throw. This is not the first time the 12-year veteran has faced financial consequences for this type of behavior. In the 2017 NBA playoffs, Smart had already been fined $25,000 for making the exact same gesture, although on that occasion the recipient was a fan.

From Indiscipline to Redemption on the Court

Despite the outburst and the initial negative impact of the technical foul, Smart managed to transform his frustration into on-court production. The defensive specialist, who recently turned 31, became a key player in securing the victory in Salt Lake City during the fourth quarter. In that decisive period, he scored nine of his 17 total points, standing out with a 3-for-4 shooting percentage from three-point range.

Currently, the player is averaging 10.6 points, 2.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 17 games played this season, 11 of which he has started. His presence in the starting lineup has become a critical necessity for the coaching staff, especially given the string of injuries plaguing the squad.