Friday's loss to the Phoenix Suns proved costly in more ways than one for Kenny Atkinson.
The Cleveland Cavaliers head coach has been fined $50,000 by the NBA for aggressively pursuing, berating, and making inadvertent contact with a game official, the league announced on Saturday.
Atkinson's outburst occurred with 10:59 remaining in the fourth quarter after he was assessed his second technical foul of the game and subsequently ejected. The Cavaliers went on to lose 126-133 to the Suns, snapping a five-game win streak as a result.
The 58-year-old appeared to be upset over what he believed was a missed reach-in foul on Suns guard Collin Gillespie, and stepped onto the court to argue his case, bumping into an official.
Atkinson was immediately assessed a technical and eventually ushered away by Cavs staff as he continued to argue with the officials.
The Huntington, N.Y. native is in his second season helming the Cavaliers after leading the team to a 64-18 record last year.
Cleveland got off to a slower start in 2025-26, however, just 19-16 by the end of December, but has since turned things around thanks to a 10-5 start to January (7-3 in the last 10).
The 29-21 Cavaliers, fifth in the East, return to action on Sunday as they take on the Portland Trail Blazers to continue a five-game road trip.
