NBA insider Brian Windhorst shed light on the possibility of Nikola Jokic facing suspension for Game 5 vs. the Phoenix Suns after his altercation with the opponent team owner Mat Ishbia.
“Talking to folks last night, my feel is we are looking at the possibility of a fine both ways,” Windhorst said on Get Up. “Because regardless of [Ishbia’s] coming up into Jokic’s space, you can’t put your hands on a fan.”
.@WindhorstESPN thinks it's "unlikely" Nikola Jokić will be suspended after the altercation in Game 4: pic.twitter.com/YvaugKbRli
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 8, 2023
The incident occurred in the second quarter when the ball landed in Ishbia’s hands after going out of bounds, and when Jokic tried to take the ball to get back into action, the Suns’ owner slapped the ball off to another fan and the Nuggets superstar made contact with Ishbia with his forearm that looked him shoving the latter who toppled over.
On the game front, the furor didn’t distract Jokic as he ended his evening with a monstrous 53-point performance, although the Nuggets ended up on the losing side. The Suns tied the series 2-2 and Game 5 is slated for Tuesday.
Nikola Jokic Reacts To His Altercation With Suns Owner Mat Ishbia
Sharing his thoughts on the issue, the MVP runner-up expressed his disappointment about the whole shebang.
“He told me I was elbowing the fan, but the fan put their hand on me first. I thought the league is supposed to protect us, or whatever. Maybe I am wrong, so we’ll see… I know who he is, but he’s a fan,” Jokic explained postgame.
“Sitting courtside, he’s a fan. Doesn’t matter who he is, he can’t influence the game by holding the ball… His hands are on me, they’re not gonna protect me? They’re gonna protect the fan? Not me as a person, but I am talking about as a player. They don’t care but they should protect the players… He’s influencing the game. I think he’s supposed to get kicked out if he’s influencing the game.”
For now, there is no clarity on whether Jokic will be suspended. But in case he isn’t, the Serbian will surely be looking at a hefty fine he’d be asked to pony up.
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