NBA players suspended multiple games after ugly on-court fight

Three NBA players have been suspended after a fight broke out on Friday night between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks.

Mavs forward Naji Marshall was hit with a four-game fan, while Jusuf Nurkic of Phoenix will miss the next three games for coming to blows on the court.

PJ Washington of Dallas will also serve a one-game suspension for escalating the situation.

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Nurkic was called for an offensive foul while being guarded by Daniel Gafford with 9:02 left in the third quarter before the altercation quickly escalated. 

Nurkic confronted Marshall before taking an open-handed swing at his head; Marshall responded with a punch, and Washington quickly shoved Nurkic to the ground before the teams were separated.

The referees reviewed the play before deciding that all three players would be ejected.

“Just protecting each other — that’s what that was,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Emotions can get high, so our guys protect one another. We talk about it, and it was displayed tonight.”

Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) punches 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 anybody individually, it’s not good for our league,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I don’t know all the details of what got it to that point.”

Kyrie Irving joked that the fight could “help our ratings.” The NBA has seen a decrease in viewership in the first couple months of the season.

Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) punches Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) during the third quarter at Footprint Center.  (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

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The ejections didn’t help Dallas, as they were 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 away with a 98-89 victory on the road.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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