Raptors' Fred VanVleet Fined $30K for Comments About Officials After Loss vs Clippers

Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet knew he faced a risk of being fined when he voiced his frustration about officiating in the NBA, and that came to fruition on Thursday.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that the league has fined VanVleet $30,000 for his comments after Wednesday night's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

VanVleet scored 13 points in Toronto's 108-100 loss, which was its second straight and dropped its record to 32-35. The Raptors were called for 23 fouls compared to just 18 on the Clippers, and VanVleet received his eighth technical foul of the year.

"I don't mind, I'll take a fine, I don't really care," VanVleet said Wednesday. "I thought Ben Taylor was f--king terrible tonight. I think that on most nights, you know out of the three [officials], there's one or two that just f--k the game up. It's been like that a couple of games in a row. [Losing on Monday at] Denver was tough, obviously. You come out tonight, competing pretty hard, and I get a bulls--t tech that changes the whole dynamic of the game, changed the whole flow of the game."

In Toronto's loss to the Denver Nuggets earlier this week, forward Scottie Barnes was called for a technical foul with 28 seconds left in a one-point game. The Raptors went on to lose 118-113.

Toronto got off to a slow start this season, but the team is currently ninth in the Eastern Conference as the postseason approaches.

The Raptors will look to bounce back when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers (32-34) on Friday.