Wizards' Bradley Beal Fined $25K for Making Contact With Official During Pacers Game
The NBA announced Monday that Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal has been fined $25,000 after making contact with a game official during Saturday's 127-113 win over the Indiana Pacers.
During the play in question, Beal had been leaping to try to keep a ball from going out of bounds during the third quarter and as he tried to balance himself while he landed appeared to push a nearby referee, knocking him into the courtside seats.
It's been a somewhat frustrating deal for Beal, who has missed 22 games because of injury. When healthy, the 29-year-old has not posted some of the elite scoring numbers of his past, averaging 22.5 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 52 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from three.
That hasn't necessarily been a bad thing, as Beal has been efficient and Washington has more offensive options around him. The Wizards are also 2.9 points better than their opponents per 100 possessions when he plays and two points worse than their opponents per 100 possessions when he sits, per NBA.com, another reminder of his overall value.
The Wizards are 11-3 in the last 14 games he's played. But staying healthy is key, as the team is just 26-29 on the season and fighting for a potential playoff berth.
While Beal feels his injuries this season—which has included hamstring strains on both legs—have been a bit more unlucky than anything else, he's also considered adjusting his training regiments to avoid further issues.
"It's just a freak thing. Some things aren't in my control and I just have to adjust on the fly. Pray and pray and just keep myself out of positions to get hurt," he told Chase Hughes of NBC Sports. "[But] I can still be better managing and taking care of my body. Doing things in the weight more, eating. [I'm] looking at everything. Nothing is perfect, so obviously I could get back to the drawing board and figure out how to sustain my durability."
