The Phoenix Suns got the job done, beating the Denver Nuggets to even things up at two wins apiece.
Nonetheless, as great as their performance on the court was, this game will be mostly remembered for Mat Ishbia’s run-in with Nikola Jokic on the sidelines.
The Suns’ owner held onto the basketball when it went out of bounds and then let it fly out of his hands when Jokic tried to grab it, infuriating the two-time MVP and then provoking him into a technical foul.
Notably, Suns star Devin Booker thinks the owner did his job, praising him for getting the team an extra point due to that altercation.
Devin Booker on Suns owner Mat Ishbia: “He did his job over there. He got us a point.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 8, 2023
Needless to say, Jokic didn’t feel the same way.
He called out the league for not protecting the players, stating that the fans cannot influence the game that way, regardless of their position with the team.
Some might argue that Jokic shouldn’t let a rival fan get into his head in a must-win game, as he risked ejection when his team needed him the most, and that could be a valid point.
But no fan has the right to do something like this, not even a team owner, and that’s also a bad look for Ishbia.
Russell Westbrook and other NBA players have been lifelong advocates for player safety and calling the fans out when they misbehave.
So, it’ll be interesting to see whether the league decides to enforce any sort of penalty on the Suns’ owner to try and make a statement.
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