Blazers' Jusuf Nurkic Fined $40K for Throwing Fan's Phone During Confrontation

The NBA has fined Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic $40,000 after confronting a fan and throwing the fan's phone into the stands after Sunday's loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported the details of what led to the confrontation:

Nurkic was in street clothes and has been out for more than a month with a foot injury.

Portland's 129-98 loss to the Pacers was the team's 10th in a span of 11 games. The fan was on the court wearing an Indiana jersey, but it is unclear what caused Nurkic to confront the fan.

Nurkic has not spoken to the media since the incident.

The 27-year-old is averaging 15.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game this season, but the Pacers have fallen out of playoff position at 27-44 entering Tuesday.

The NBA, meanwhile, has looked to curb negative interactions between players and fans.

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant was fined $25,000 for directing "obscene language toward a fan" after yelling at them to "shut the f--k up." Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook recently had to call out a fan who was heckling him pregame.