NEW YORK -- Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has been suspended one game without pay by the NBA for making contact with a referee.
Budenholzer was yelling at Brian Forte from behind with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter when he bumped into the referee during the Hawks' 135-130 loss to Cleveland on Friday night. It was the second time Budenholzer has done that; the other was in a game against Cleveland on Nov. 21, 2015.
The league said Saturday that Budenholzer will miss the Hawks' game Sunday against the Indiana Pacers.
"I fully understand and respect the decision of the NBA," Budenholzer said in a statement. "I plan to reach out to Brian as soon as possible and intend to apologize for the contact that I made during last night's game. The referees have the most difficult job on the court and do an outstanding job of managing the needs of the game, players and coaches. I accept the suspension, will learn from it and look forward to moving beyond this."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
