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Kings' Buddy Hield Fined $20K for Language Towards Refs During Loss to Bucks

Rob Goldberg@@TheRobGoldbergFeatured Columnist IVApril 5, 2021

Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) against the Cleveland Cavaliers during an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, March 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield was fined $20,000 by the NBA for using "inappropriate language" at an official during Saturday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, per James Ham of NBC Sports.

The incident in question came after the game ended.

Milwaukee edged the Kings for a 129-128 win despite playing without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Sacramento trailed by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter before storming back in the final minutes. It took clutch shots from Jrue Holiday and quality free-throw shooting from Milwaukee to hold on for the win.

It resulted in the third straight loss for Sacramento, which fell further out of playoff contention with a 22-28 record.

The frustration is likely boiling over for Hield, who has struggled in 2020-21 with an average of 16.5 points per game after averaging at least 19 PPG in each of the previous two years. His 39.7 field-goal percentage would be the worst of his five-year career.