During the Hornets-Hawks matchup of the Play-In Tournament, Miles Bridges let a fan get under his skin. However, instead of taking out his mouthpiece and throwing it at the trash-talking Atlanta fan, Bridges missed his target. The forward threw his mouthpiece into the stands while exiting the court, and it hit a 16-year-old girl in the face. For the bottom line, that’s just nasty.
With 6:39 remaining in the fourth quarter, Bridges was whistled for goaltending on De’Andre Hunter’s shot attempt. The fourth-year player disagreed with the call, and he attempted to chase down the official. But, James Williams was unwilling to listen to a frustrated, aggressive player. Bridges was ejected after Williams issued him two technical fouls.
Furthermore, Miles Bridges told The Charlotte Observer, “I was upset about a call — a couple of calls, really — and I let my temper get the best of me. That was definitely the wrong thing to do, throwing my mouthpiece”
The remorseful player also went on to state, “I was aiming for the guy that was screaming at me and it hit a little girl. So, that’s definitely unacceptable on my part and I take full responsibility. That’s out of character for me.” Unfortunately, his emotions got the better of him.
James Capers, the crew chief for this matchup, told the press that Miles Bridges received the first technical foul because he vigorously confronted the official with a clenched fist. Also, Capers mentioned, “He was ejected because he used profanity directed at the official and it was his second technical foul. By rule, that is an automatic ejection.”
Miles Bridges is expected to be issued $25,000 fine
Additionally, the typical fine for a player throwing a mouthpiece into the stands is $25,000. Though, back in 2017, Warriors’ guard Stephen Curry was fined $50,000 for throwing his mouthpiece in the direction of an official.
And, Curry was issued a $25,000 fine for hurling his mouthpiece at a fan in Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals. It depends on the intent. Not every situation is the same.
In the end, Curry was not suspended in either case. So, NBA viewers can expect Miles Bridges to receive nothing more than a small fine for breaking the same rule. More importantly, he is sorry for what he did. On top of reaching out to the 16-year-old girl, the forward is accepting full responsibility for this incident.
Of course, the Hawks defeated the Hornets 132-103 to advance to the next round of the Play-In Tournament. The Hawks play the Cavaliers tomorrow on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. This game can be watched live on ESPN.
