Following the fight that broke out during the New Orleans Pelicans’ game against the Phoenix Suns, the NBA has suspended guard Jose Alvarado for two games and center Mark Williams for one game. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the league is fining these players $62,069 and $36,072, respectively, as well.
Tempers flared after Alvarado shoved Williams while he was setting a screen during the game. Williams responded with something that triggered Alvarado into charging back at Williams and holding his jersey.
A scuffle ensued as Williams tried to push Alvarado away, and punches ended up being thrown by both players. Even after being separated, Alvarado seemingly ran back to go around and confront Williams from the players’ tunnel
Considering the evidence of the event, it suggests that Alvarado was the aggressor who initiated the physical contact; his longer suspension seems justified.
Both players ended up getting ejected from the game. Alvarado finished with seven points, three rebounds, and two steals while shooting 3-of-7 (42.9%) from the field. Williams had 10 points and eight rebounds while shooting 4-of-9 from the floor (44.4%).
The Suns center ended up getting the last laugh as they beat the Pelicans 123-114 and now improved their record to 18-13. Meanwhile, the Pelicans, coming off a five-game win streak, now have a three-game losing streak as a result of this defeat. They fell to 8-25 for the season.
As a result of this decision, the Pelicans guard will miss their next two games against the Knicks and the Bulls before resuming play in January. Meanwhile, the Suns center will miss their game against the Wizards.
The Suns’ legend Eddie A. Johnson was vocal about the incident as well. He reacted to the incident as well as the suspension on social media.
“So what Mark Williams should have done was run, but he couldn’t; Alvarado was hanging on his jersey. Oh, so then he should have allowed an irate player to swing and punch to get both ejected! Can’t win in that situation,” said the former NBA player on social media after the suspensions were announced.
“This is a straight-up joke and a cop out by officials. What was Mark Williams to do with a player swinging at him? He held back because he did not want to get kicked out. We all know he could have hurt Jose Alvarado!” he wrote on social media when the incident occurred.
“Mark Williams was trying not to swing at Jose. He was trying to block his swing. If Mark Williams was swinging, he would have hurt Jose, whom I personally like. One guy cared about a paycheck, while the other one did not,” Johnson further added on X.
While the NBA thinks Mark Williams also contributed to causing the fight, Johnson believes he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and chose the only option available to him: self-defense.
Do you agree with the league or with Johnson? Let us know in the comments section.
