Former Pacers coach Carlisle fined $25K

DALLAS — Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was fined $25,000 on Saturday for criticizing officials after a loss to Houston that left Dallas trailing 3-0 in a first-round playoff series.

Carlisle coached the Pacers from 2003-07.

Carlisle came close to getting called for a technical foul several times during the Rockets' 130-128 win in Game 3 Friday night.

He was fined for comments afterward about a play early in the fourth quarter when Dwight Howard appeared to push Devin Harris out of bounds as they chased a loose ball. Howard grabbed the ball and passed to Trevor Ariza for a 3-pointer.

The Dallas coach said "there's just a lot of physical stuff going on out there that just doesn't look kosher to me."

On Saturday, Carlisle said he accepted the fine but was "going to fight for my team."