Three NBA players have been suspended after a brawl broke out between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Mavs forward Naji Marshall has been hit by a fan for the fourth straight game, while Phoenix's Jusuf Nurkic will miss the next three games after getting hit on the court.
Dallas guard PJ Washington will also be suspended for one game for escalating the situation.
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Dallas Mavericks forward Nadji Marshall (13) punches Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) at Footprint Center during the third quarter. (Mark J. Revilas-Imagen Images)
Nurkic was called for an offensive foul while being guarded by Daniel Gafford with 9:02 left in the third quarter, and the altercation quickly escalated.
Nurkic confronted Marshall and then shook his head. Marshall fired back with punches, and Washington quickly shoved Nurkic to the ground, causing the teams to separate.
After reviewing the play, the referees decided to send off all three players.
“We just protected each other, that's what it was,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Emotions can run high, so our guys protect each other. We've talked about that and it showed tonight.”
Dallas Mavericks forward Nadji Marshall (13) punches Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) at Footprint Center during the third quarter. (Mark J. Revilas-Imagen Images)
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“That level of altercation is not good for the team, it's not good for anyone, and I don't think it's good for the league,” Suns manager Mike Budenholzer said. “We don't know the details of what led to that.”
Kyrie Irving joked that the game “might help the ratings.” The NBA saw a decline in viewership during the first few months of the season.
Dallas Mavericks forward Nadji Marshall (13) punches Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) at Footprint Center during the third quarter. (Mark J. Revilas-Imagen Images)
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The ejection didn't help Dallas because they were already without star Luka Doncic, who suffered a calf strain on Christmas Day and will miss a month of games. However, they were still able to secure a 98-89 victory on the road.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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