An odd play late in the second quarter of Sunday’s Nuggets-Suns game could swing the outcome of the series, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Phoenix guard Josh Okogie dove out of bounds while trying to save the basketball and landed near a courtside seat occupied by team owner Mat Ishbia, who wound up with the ball in his hands. While Ishbia was checking on his player, Nikola Jokic attempted to grab the ball from him to create a potential 5-on-4 advantage for Denver with Okogie still down.
The ball was knocked backward into the crowd, and as Jokic asked another fan to throw it to him, his left forearm made contact with Ishbia’s chest, causing him to fall backward into his seat (video link). Jokic was given a technical foul on the play, and although the NBA office didn’t comment Sunday night, Youngmisuk said the league will likely review the incident to determine if a fine or suspension is warranted.
“One of the fans (Ishbia) was holding the ball, Jokic came to get the ball, grabbed it away from the fan,” referee Tony Brothers said in the pool report after the game. “Then after that, he deliberately gave him a shove and pushed him down, so he was issued an unsportsmanlike technical foul. … There was some engagement, so I deemed the technical foul the appropriate penalty.”
Brothers said Jokic wasn’t ejected because he “didn’t just run over and hit a fan.”
Jokic explained his view of what happened in his post-game meeting with reporters, saying he was trying to get the ball to start the next play. He also didn’t seem to realize that it was Ishbia who was holding it.
“(Brothers) told me I was elbowing the fan,” Jokic said. “But the fan put the hand on me first. So I thought the league’s supposed to protect us or whatever, but maybe I’m wrong, so we will see.”
He also questioned why he might be subject to a fine or suspension.
“But his hands (were) on me,” Jokic said. “So (the NBA) is not going to protect me? They’re going to protect the fan? Not me as a person; I’m talking about as a player.”
Ishbia, who finalized his purchase of the team in February, told an Associated Press reporter at halftime that he was “fine,” Youngmisuk relays, and he was in his seat when the second half began.
The incident overshadowed another outstanding performance from Jokic, who had a career-high 53 points and 11 assists even though the Suns pulled out a win to knot the series at 2-2. According to Youngmisuk, he’s the first player in league history to average a 40-point triple-double while shooting 60% from the floor over two playoff games.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic blames Ishbia for escalating the incident and says a suspension for Jokic would be an “extreme overreaction” by the NBA. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said he would be “stunned” if Jokic is suspended, adding, “I don’t think there’s an appetite here for that to happen.” (Twitter link)
Sit the Joker…….Suns fans
I can sort of (and only sort of) understand a typical stupid fan keeping the ball from Jokic but the owner should be returning the ball to the ref and not holding it down. If I was the nuggets I would be banning any non player, non coach, or non team doctor from courtside at the nuggets stadium. Let them be in a suite if they want to attend. Mat Ishbia should never been able to secure the ball. He should be fined. Same if Mark Cuban did some stupid thing like that. I don’t watch a game to see an owner hold a ball. That incident started and was caused by the owner trying to be part of the game.
He grabbed the ball because a suns player was being helped up. It was instinct. He obviously wasn’t keeping the ball. The man played basketball. He knows how it is
Mat I could have easily looked to toss it to the ref or given it to Jokic but it looked as if he was playing keep away from Jokic. Since he played the game at MSU he knows the ref has to give the ball back to Jokic since it wasn’t a made shot. If Jokic gets fined then Mat should get fined as well. The owner and former player of the game should no better.
He looks right at Jokic as he tries to keep hugging the ball to his chest until it squirts into the crowd…
He should give the ball to the ref huh? Wasn’t all of this because he didn’t give the ball to Jokic? Love the Cuban jab in there too for no reason. You definitely are just looking for something to be mad about lol
Not at all. I am generally a pretty happy person.
That owner had no business doing what he did. Plain and simple.
Cuban is sometimes okay but often over the top.
@Washington- People can have opinions and make negative statements about others without being mad. I feel like 99% of the time the one claiming someone is “mad” is truly the angry one.
Why would anything happen? I missed the moment live, but on the replay, it looked like Jokix went to raise his arm, and the fan leaned into him, and clipped his arm that was already raising straight up into the guys face/neck/chest or whatever. Didnt look intentional at all, and if anything the whole thing was weird for the guy to not give up the ball, whether or not he is a team owner. I also dont agree with the idea of letting that person essentially get in Jokic’s face like that, so if anyone should be potentially confronted by the league, it should be the fan/owner
Ishbia should be fined.
And suspended. He had no business bodying up to a player like that. He also flopped
Big time flop!
I watched that video 4-5 times… what on earth did he do wrong? He saw the Suns player down so he wanted to get the ball ASAP to get a 5-4 fast break. This is what they are TRAINED TO DO IN THAT SIUATION?! …. on top of that, not only did he have no idea who the guy was with the ball, but he literally never touched him? He goes for the ball.. the guy flips it in the air, and Jokic motions for the guy who caught it to give it to him.. never touching anyone? What on earth am I missing here?
I mean his forearm clearly touched Ishbia. Now did Ishbia flop? Absolutely. But to say there was no contact is blatantly false.
“but he literally never touched him?”
I agree with everything you’re saying except this. Jokic definitely touched him and it’s clear as day. Ishiba flopped worse than Vlade Divac, but Jokic touched him as the video shows.
I would find very surprising if Jokic is suspended, as the contact was minimal and warranted. Plus that would set a terrible precedent (an owner bothering the opponent’s star player and getting him suspended when the series is on the wire). I don’t think the NBA wants to navigate those waters, a fine for both is the maximum I’d expect.
Not sure if that was just a really bad flop or if he was so drunk watching his team that he couldn’t balance well. Either way, Jokic will not see any suspension for that
His chair was right against his legs so any bump would cause that he got tabled by the chair…
Laughing stock nba laughing stock hard a nba fans
Rewatched the incident – a fine at the very least is appropriate
If it was Draymond Green he would be suspended for 3 games. The NBA has a poor system letting some player do anything while others get suspended.
If Draymond (the guy with a history of dirty cheap shots) only got 1 game for stomping on an opponent’s chest, he would most certainly not receive a suspension here.
The system is fine, Dray has a long history of being a jack a s s.
For grabbing and holding the ball and then flopping like a little p**sy, Ishbia should be fined and not allowed to sit courtside for the remainder of the playoffs. Jokic should get an apology from the refs for falling for Ishbia’s BS.
Shouldn’t the fan (Ishbia) be removed as well? It appears he participated in NBA Fan Misconduct rules.
Another courtside-sitting idiot who thinks that his seat entails the privilege to interfere with the game.
Ishbia should be fined and banned for the rest of the playoffs.
You should be fined and banned from posting on this board for such an idiotic comment.
Not really. If that dudes not the owner he is ejected instantly…
Ejected for what? Flopping? He didn’t initiate contact with Jokic. Holding the ball for a few seconds while trying to help his player up is hardly worth of ejection.
That’s not true.
Ishbia initiated contact by moving towards Jokić and grabbing his waist first. Watch the video.
I have watched the replay several times. “Grabbing his waist” is not remotely what happened. He lightly put his hand on Jokic’s waist. It also appears Jokic put his arm into him just before Ishbia touched his waist. I’m not a Suns or Nuggets fan so I have no dog in the fight.
Yeah, and…? If a random fan touched Jokic and got into a verbal spat with him in such a manner, they would most likely be tossed.
While I don’t think Jokic should be suspended, it was hardly only Ishbia’s fault. He was clearly trying to make sure Okogie was OK/help him up.
Jokic ran to the stands and tried to grab the ball. He did push Ishbia, who did flop, but so does every player in the NBA.
If they each get fined, fine, but the tech was enough of a punishment.
I strongly believe the media is hyping it up as more of an issue than it actually was. There won’t be a suspension or a fine and Ishbia will probably get a warning from NBA. THAT is the likely and right result.
This is correct. Neither will be fined or suspended. This is honestly a big nothing burger.
Flopping had even spread to the owners now!
More manipulation tactics by A. Silver to control the outcomes of the playoffs
Is this a Jok…ic?
The first 2-3 times I watched it I didn’t catch it — I was too busy looking at his outreached hands waiting for the ball. But once you see it you can’t deny he intentionally pushes the fan back like that on purpose.
Jokic looks right at Ishbia before looking away as he raises his left forearm and shoves Ishbia back. It’s debatable as to who made contact with the other person first (Ishbia does appear to touch Jokic on the hip just before falling back). But regardless, it appears to me that Jokic was already intent on pushing the fan back.
Should be suspended for a game? No — or at least I certainly hope not.
Same. At first I thought the contact was incidental as a result of Jokic raising his arms in anticipation of getting the ball back but that clearly wasn’t the case based on the movement pattern. Granted, one could argue it was more of a clearing out move than an intentional shove given that he saw Ishbia coming toward him.
The main argument I’ve seen raised by Suns fans for a suspension is that the incident occurred with a fan, even if that fan is a very well known one. And I can sort of get that; the NBA generally has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to that stuff given past events.
At the same time, the reality of the playoffs are that stars are going to get away with borderline stuff for the sake of the product. And I’m fine with that so long as that would be applied in a consistent fashion, like a baseball umpire with a low-but-consistent strike zone.
Bring Sarver back
Good one, dingus.
Ishbia flopped!
Damn! Even the owner is flopping. The ghost of David Stern promises Lebron another title. Is Donoughy out of jail yet ?
Nonsense.
Tech shouldn’t have been called, and the owner regardless of strategy should call it like it is. Make a public statement because its the right thing to do if the refs can’t get it right.
A basketball play, during a basketball game.
Nothing more nothing less
If Jokic gets suspended for this the NBA standards have become a complete joke…
Doncic, Sabonis, and Jokic. Three of a kind. Amazing how similar they are.
Yep, all three are NBA All-Stars. Congratulations on that very perspicacious observation.
Always funny to see the biased reactions to incidents like these.
Suns fans: vast majority that I’ve seen think Jokic should be suspended.
Nuggets fans: weren’t even talking about the incident, as if it had never occurred in the first place.
The rest of us: may or may not deserve a fine, but probably isn’t worthy of a suspension.
My money is on the Suns, so I am against this action because its wrong, pathetic, and childish.
Jokic was playing basketball from what I saw.