Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla Fined $35,000 for Heated Exchange with Referee

The NBA penalized Mazzulla for aggressively confronting an official following Boston's loss to the Bulls, with three technical fouls issued during the game.

Joe Mazzulla was fined $35,000 for aggressively pursuing and using inappropriate language toward referee Justin Van Duyne at the end of the Celtics' 117-108 loss to the Bulls on Thursday night.
The incident followed a series of technical fouls issued to Mazzulla, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum during the fourth quarter of the game.
Mazzulla, who had to be restrained by assistants and security, later joked in a postgame interview that he was simply wishing the officials a Merry Christmas, though video footage suggests otherwise.
Jaylen Brown criticized the officiating, stating he received a technical for questioning the reasoning behind Mazzulla's penalty and accusing Van Duyne of threatening players with technical fouls.
The Celtics, currently second in the Eastern Conference, have struggled with recent shooting performances, including tying a franchise record for missed three-pointers in the loss to Chicago.