The NBA’s Jusuf Nurkic and Naji Marshall got into an altercation which resulted in the two getting ejected from the game.
In the third quarter of the Phoenix Suns’ matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, there was a stoppage in play with about nine minutes remaining. At that point, the Mavericks were leading by 16, 60-44, much to the displeasure of the Suns, who seemingly let their frustrations get to them.
As play was stopped, Nurkic walked up to Marshall and appeared to say something as the center kept talking to his opponent. Marshall then walked toward Nurkic and put both his hands on the 30-year-old’s chest as a way to keep the 7-foot center away from him.
Almost immediately after Marshall put his hands on Nurkic, the Bosnian quickly swung his arm around and slapped the 26-year-old’s head. In response, Marshall threw a punch with his right hand, which missed Nurkic’s face, but did hit his left ear.
As officials came to stop the fight, P.J. Washington had involved himself, shoving the Bosnian to the ground. With Nurkic on the floor, officials and security personnel rushed in to stop the fight from escalating, with players on both benches being held back by their respective coaching staffs.
While it appeared as if the altercation was centered on Nurkic and Marshall, the incident first began when the 7-footer attempted to gain a low post position. With Phoenix bringing down the ball, star guard Bradley Beal passed the ball to Nurkic, who had established a position against Daniel Gafford.
As Nurkic made his move, he was called for an offensive foul after his left elbow connected with Gafford’s head, causing the Mavericks big man to fall on the ground. Unhappy with the call, Nurkic bumped Mavericks star Kyrie Irving out of his way as he walked to the other end of the floor.
While walking away, it appeared as if Nurkic’s attention was diverted back to Gafford and the other Mavericks players who were helping the fallen player stand back up. It was at that point that Nurkic began walking back toward Marshall, Irving, and Gafford, with the former two approaching the Bosnian.
That was when the three men became involved in the kerfuffle. All three were ejected from the game as a result of their actions, and it remains to be seen how the three will be punished for their part in the scuffle.
Fans on social media were quick to share their thoughts on the fight. “Mavs fans are going to let Nurkic have it on March 9th when Suns come to Dallas … Mavs fans don’t forget things,” one fan wrote. “Game is on ABC too… popcorn will be had.” Another fan wrote: “Suns-Mavs is real deal hatred. The type of hate you dont get between franchises as much as you once did. Good for the League to have the kinda hate.”
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