The NBA suspended Nets center Nic Claxton one game without pay for accruing his sixth Flagrant Foul point of the 2024-25 regular season. He will serve his suspension on Wednesday when Brooklyn hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder at Barclays Center.
In Brooklyn’s 107-99 road loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday, Claxton was assessed a Flagrant Foul 1 after pushing Justin Champagnie in the back with 9:24 left in the fourth quarter, which triggered his suspension. He was ejected and fined $25,000 in December for throwing the ball into the stands in a 101-94 defeat of the Toronto Raptors.
“I just had a mental lapse, and I just launched the ball in the crowd. And I can’t let my emotions get to that point. I got to be there for my team,”
Trendon Watford also received a technical foul in Monday’s loss.
“We lost our composure, and we were not good with whatever happened with a flagrant and a technical and all that stuff and a foul before the ball gets inbounded,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “All those things are a lack of focus, and that’s not the team we want to be.”
Claxton has averaged 12.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks over his past 10 games, helping Brooklyn to an NBA-best defensive rating in February, but his temper has been an issue this season. He’s been ejected a career-high three times so far, has received five technical fouls, and has been whistled for four Flagrant Fouls, also a career high.
The 25-year-old will trigger an automatic two-game suspension if he picks up his seventh Flagrant Foul point this season.
“He knows he has to be better,” Fernandez said in December. “You can control your frustrations… I understand that we all have emotions, but the team needs him. His teammates need him. And he knows it.”