Joakim Noah was fined $50,000 Monday by the NBA for directing an anti-gay slur toward a fan during the first quarter of Sunday's Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The NBA office announced that Noah was fined for "using a derogatory and offensive term from the bench."

A league spokesman said Noah was fined less than the $100,000 assessed the Lakers' Kobe Bryant for using the same term because "Kobe's fine included discipline for verbal abuse of a game official."