Paul George handed fine for criticising officials

Indiana Pacers forward Paul George has been fined by the NBA for criticising officials after the loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

The Pacers started the new season by losing 106-99 in Canada and George, who finished the game with 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, suggested that "bad calls" played an important role in the defeat.

In response to the comments from the two-time All-Star, the NBA issued him a $10,000 (£6,500) to maintain its strict policy of punishing players for commenting on the performance of referees.

The Pacers made it two losses from two games with a 112-103 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night.