Raptors' Nick Nurse Fined $15K for Ripping Officiating of Kawhi Leonard

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse received a $15,000 fine from the NBA on Tuesday for his comments Sunday about the lack of calls made in favor of star forward Kawhi Leonard. 

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported the update after Nurse referred to the officiating as "ridiculous" following the Raptors' 95-86 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

"Tonight was a very severe case of a guy who was playing great, taking it to the rim, and just absolutely getting held, grabbed, poked, slapped, hit and everything. And they refused to call any of it," he told reporters. "It was unbelievable to me. You can't tell me one of the best players in the league takes a hundred hits in that game and shoots four free throws."

Leonard finished the contest with 29 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. He made 12 of his 21 shots from the field and connected on all four of his free-throw attempts.

Kawhi Leonard Reel

The 2014 NBA Finals MVP said he's faced that type of aggressive defense all season and tries not to get caught up in what calls are made by the referees.

"It's been like that all year," Leonard told reporters Sunday. "In this era, how the game is and the rules are today, yes I feel like I agree with him. It's been very physical. But I just go with the next play."

He ranks 11th in the NBA in fouls drawn per game (5.5) this season, which is well behind league-leader Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons (8.3) but in the same range as Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James (5.7), according to NBA.com.

The Raptors return to action Wednesday night with a clash against the Indiana Pacers. That's when Nurse will find out whether his pointed comments had any impact.