Three NBA players He was suspended after a fight broke out on Friday night between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks.
Mavs forward Najee Marshall He has been hit by a fan in four games, while Phoenix's Jusuf Nurkic will miss the next three games due to an on-court brawl.
Dallas' PJ Washington will also be suspended for one game for escalating the situation.
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Dallas Mavericks forward Najee Marshall (13) punches Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) during the third quarter at Footprint Center. (Photos by Mark J. Rebelas-Imagine)
Nurkic was called for an offensive foul while being guarded by Daniel Gafford with 9:02 remaining in the third quarter before the altercation quickly escalated.
Nurkic faced Marshall before swinging an open hand at his head. Marshall responded with a punch, and Washington quickly shoved Nurkic to the ground before the teams could be separated.
The referees reviewed the play before deciding to send off the three players.
“Just protecting each other, that's what it was,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Emotions can run high, so our guys protect each other. We talked about it, and it was on display tonight.”
Dallas Mavericks forward Najee Marshall (13) punches Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) during the third quarter at Footprint Center. (Photos by Mark J. Rebelas-Imagine)
“I think this level of brawling is not good for our team, not good for any individual person, and not good for our league.” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I don't know all the details of what brought it to this point.”
Kyrie Irving He joked that the fight could “help our ratings.” The NBA saw a decline in viewership in the first two months of the season.
Dallas Mavericks forward Najee Marshall (13) punches Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) during the third quarter at Footprint Center. (Photos by Mark J. Rebelas-Imagine)
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The dismissals didn't help Dallas, as they were already without star Luka Doncic, who suffered a calf strain on Christmas Day and will miss a month. However, they managed to pull off an away win 98-89.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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