Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, left, is held back by assistant coach Sam Cassell after being issued a technical foul in Boston's loss to Chicago, a game after which Mazzulla was fined $35,000 for pursuing an official and bad language

New York (AFP) - Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was fined $35,000 and Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Saturday for league rule violations at Thursday contests.

Mazzulla was fined for “aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language toward a game official,” the league said in a statement.

Mazzulla took the actions at the end of reigning NBA champion Boston’s 117-108 home loss to Chicago.

Claxton’s punishment was for throwing the game ball into the spectator seating area.

In the game, Claxton was whistled for a technical foul and ejected after the incident, which came with 8:46 remaining in the second quarter of the Nets’ 101-94 triumph at Toronto.

The 25-year-old American, in his sixth NBA season all with Brooklyn, is averaging 9.5 points and 7.4 rebounds a game.

The Celtics rank third in the NBA and second in the Eastern Conference at 21-6 while the Nets rank 10th in the East at 11-16.