Three NBA players have been suspended after a fight broke out Friday night between the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks.
Mavs forward Naji Marshall was hit with a fan for four games, while Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic will miss the next three games due to coming to blows on the court.
Dallas’ PJ Washington will also serve a one-game suspension for aggravating the situation.
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Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) hits Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) during the third quarter at Footprint Center. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
Nurkic was called for an offensive foul while guarded by Daniel Gafford with 9:02 left in the third quarter before the altercation quickly escalated.
Nurkic confronted Marshall before landing an open-handed blow to his head; Marshall responded with a punch and Washington quickly shoved Nurkic to the ground before the teams separated.
The referees reviewed the play before deciding that the three players would be sent off.
“Just protecting each other, that’s what it was,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Emotions can run high, that’s why our guys protect each other. We talked about it and it showed tonight.”
Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) hits Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) during the third quarter at Footprint Center. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
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“I think that level of altercation is not good for our team, it’s not good for anyone individually, it’s not good for our league,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I don’t know all the details of what led up to that point.”
Kyrie Irving joked that the fight could “help our ratings.” The NBA has seen a decline in viewership in the first few months of the season.
Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) hits Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) during the third quarter at Footprint Center. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
The ejections didn’t help Dallas, which was already without star Luka Dončić, who suffered a calf strain on Christmas Day and will miss a month of action. However, they were still able to come out with a 98-89 road win.
