Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins rips ‘atrocious’ officiating after 8th loss in 9 games, fined $25K
The NBA fined Taylor Jenkins $25,000 on Sunday for his comments on Friday night
The Memphis Grizzlies have plenty to be upset about amid their 1-8 start. But after a 127-121 loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday, head coach Taylor Jenkins zeroed in on the officiating.
Memphis star Jaren Jackson Jr. was ejected with two consecutive technicals in the loss after he argued against a missed call with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter. That wasn’t the only time the matchup saw Jackson or Jenkins disagree with officials. Where the Jazz were granted 29 free-throw attempts, the Grizzlies had 13. Recently acquired Memphis guard Marcus Smart also fouled out halfway through the fourth.
When Jenkins was asked about the officiating postgame, he told reporters to “saddle up” for the profane rant that followed.
Jenkins utilized the discrepancy in free-throw attempts as a tipping-off point for his almost two-minute-long address.
He went on to acknowledge that he’ll be penalized by the league for his comments before getting more specific about what referees did wrong.
Based on video replays of the sequence that resulted in Jackson’s ejection, Utah’s John Collins made contact with the Grizzlies center’s arm. Jackson garnered the initial technical foul by throwing his hands up and punching the air when no foul was called. When he shouted as he approached an official, he got the second technical, which prompted an automatic ejection. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year left the game with 14 points and four rebounds.
Jenkins said he looks forward to watching tape from Friday’s loss, which dropped the team to 0-2 in the In-Season Tournament.
The NBA then fined him $25,000 on Sunday for his comments, something that shouldn’t come as a surprise given his comments. That discipline, however, is the least of his worries.
