On Wednesday night, Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid was given a technical foul and ejected during the Timberwolves’ overtime win against the Houston Rockets at Target Center.
Reid was ejected following an offensive foul against Alperen Şengün, which was challenged by the Timberwolves. The play was reviewed and ultimately upheld by the NBA referees. Reid argued the ruling with referee Scott Foster and was ejected with 4:13 left in overtime.
NBA Fines Naz Reid $50,000 Following Ejection Against Rockets
“Reid made a statement that questioned the integrity of the crew,” Foster said after the game during the pool report interview conducted by Chris Hine.
Foster added the call was upheld because “the defender was deemed to beat the offense player to the spot, prior to his upward shooting motion, and gain legal guarding position.”
Tension reportedly rang through the back halls at Target Center as the players headed to the locker room following the heated exchange. According to the West Central Tribune, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels also weighed in on the situation.
“We just try to believe in the basketball gods,” Timberwolves center Gobert said. “Just keep trying to compete. Play winning basketball and control what we can control.” McDaniels also weighed in, expressing a desire to focus on playing through the adversity to get the win.
On Friday morning, the NBA announced that it had disciplined Reid by levying a $50,000 fine from James Jones, executive vice president and head of basketball operations. Jones shared the fine was for questioning the integrity of game officials during the Timberwolves’ win against the Rockets.
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Of course, this is not the first time this season Reid has received a fine for an incident in an NBA game. He received a $35,000 fine for his on-court altercation with Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye on Feb. 9.
With 11:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, Gueye committed a defensive foul on Reid by pushing him from behind. After that action, Reid approached Gueye, and the two players aggressively grabbed each other’s jerseys. Both players received technical fouls and were ejected from the game. The Timberwolves went on to win the game 138-116.
Reid Discusses Areas for Improvement in His Game
During a recent interview with Andrew Dukowitz of zonecoverage.com, Reid was asked where he could grow his game on the court.
“For the most part,” he said, “I would say, more consistency. I’ve been pretty consistent, but if you want to be truly great or the one, two, three, you got to be consistent all the time. … I want to make sure I’m consistent in every aspect that I bring to the table.”
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According to Dukowitz, a consistent question has been raised by many when it comes to the seven-year veteran from LSU: When will his game peak, be taken to the next level, and be consistent?
Per Dukowitz, Reid had a true shooting percentage between 52.0% and 64.0% in only 19 games during the 2023-24 season, which accounted for 23.5% of his 81 total games played.
