Pacers' Mathurin suspended 1 game for contact with ref

The NBA handed Indiana Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin a one-game suspension Wednesday for verbally abusing and making inappropriate contact with a referee during Tuesday's 127-117 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mathurin took issue with a foul called against him when he brought down Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley with 3:58 to play in the fourth quarter. While expressing his disagreement with referee Natalie Sago, the Pacers guard clapped his hands by the official's head before bumping into her to earn two technical fouls in quick succession and an immediate ejection.

Mathurin will miss Indiana's game against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. Detroit has won 10 of its last 12 contests and trails the sixth-place Pacers by half a game in the Eastern Conference.

The suspension is the first of the 22-year-old's career.