I still don’t really understand it.”Ī reporter then told Malone that the “fan” was the Suns owner. The deemed Nikola doing something that was excessive and they gave him the tech. “Going to get the ball, and some fan is holding onto the ball who wants be a part of the game. “I think it’s crazy that Nikola got a technical foul in that situation,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters after the game. Ishbia, who reportedly returned to his seat in the second half, was “fine” and didn’t worry about the altercation as much as the game, according to the Associated Press.Ī fan threw it back to Okogie after he got up, with Denver leading 55-54 and 2:36 to play in the first half. But maybe I'm wrong' /uLL8qBS17H- Oh no he didn't May 8, 2023 I thought the league is supposed to protect us. 'He told me I was elbowing the fan, but the fan put his hands on me first. Nikola Jokic addresses the incident with Suns owner Mat Ishbia in Game 4 tonight: The push-back he received from Ishbia while trying to get the ball may have annoyed Jokic, who may not have know it was the Suns owner. Ishbia then appears to knock the ball from Jokic’s grap and the ball went further back in the crowd. The former two-time NBA Most Valuable Player was met by some resistance as he tried to rip it away. With the Suns having lost possession, Jokic then rushed over to retrieve the ball from Ishbia. Suns wing Josh Okogie went diving in the stands for a loose ball near the sideline where Ishbia was sitting.

Getty Images Nikola Jokic shoved Suns owner Mat Ishbia.

We’ll see.” Nikola Jokic had an altercation in the stands during the first half of Game Four of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals Sunday night. I thought the league is supposed to protect us or whatever. “ he told me I was elbowing the fan,” Jokic told reporters postgame. The incident happened late in the second quarter of Game 4 of the team’s second-round playoff series in Phoenix on Sunday night. Nuggets star Nikola Jokic paid the price with a technical foul for making contact with Suns owner Mat Ishbia.

Tussle by Jacob Chance