Middleton was fined $25,000 by the league for throwing his mouthguard in anger.

2026-03-08 02:31

The NBA has announced that Dallas Mavericks veteran Khris Middleton has been fined $25,000 for throwing his mouthguard toward the stands during a game.

This controversial incident occurred midway through the third quarter of the Mavericks' narrow 114-115 loss to the Orlando Magic. At that moment, Middleton lost the ball under tight defense from Magic player Jalen Suggs.

After his complaints to the referee and demands for a foul were ignored, a disgruntled Middleton angrily threw his mouthguard towards the Mavericks' bench. According to reports from the scene, the mouthguard eventually landed in front of a fan and slid towards a Mavericks assistant coach. The referee immediately called a technical foul on Middleton.

Despite his emotional state during the game, Middleton's performance improved that night, scoring a team-high 19 points. However, looking at his overall performance this season, the veteran, who has played 14 seasons in the league and was selected to the All-Star team three times, is facing considerable challenges.

So far this season, Middleton has played 45 games (including his previous time with the Washington Wizards), with his average stats dropping to 10.8 points, 4 rebounds and 3.3 assists, and a three-point shooting percentage of only 32%.

In the 11 games Middleton played after joining the Mavericks, although his average points per game slightly improved to 12.4 and rebounds to 4.3, his outside shooting touch remained very cold, and his three-point shooting percentage dropped to 28%.

Image source: Internet