Trail Blazers' Mario Hezonja Fined $25K for Making Contact with Referee

Portland's Mario Hezonja did his best to try to stop a technical foul from being called on teammate CJ McCollum on Monday. Now he'll have to pay $25,000 for his efforts.

The NBA announced it was fining the Trail Blazers forward for making "inappropriate contact" with an official during the victory over the Orlando Magic. Looking at the replay, it's hard to argue with the league's decision. 

As a referee is about to blow the whistle on McCollum, Hezonja grabs his hand in an attempt to keep the whistle from his mouth. Alas, the plan did not work, and Hezonja was also called for a technical. 

This is just the fourth technical foul in Hezonja's four-year career, and the 25-year-old certainly made it count. 

The incident happened near the end of the third quarter after McCollum was called for a charge that was certainly debatable on whether or not it was a flop. Hezonja immediately ran over to the ref to argue that case, but he took it too far when he grabbed the official.

Still, Hezonja may have earned himself some major bonus points with his teammates. McCollum was in the midst of a monster performance when the Croatian redirected the referee's ire and finished with 41 points, five rebounds and five assists. Hezonja had one of the better games of his season, adding 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench; he is averaging 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game. 

In any case, Portland coach Terry Stotts should at least give him the game ball after the Blazers' next win.