The Conference Semifinals series between the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns lit up as the latter leveled the series with two back-to-back victories. However, things got a little spicy when the 7ft Nuggets giant Nikola Jokic got entangled in a suspension row after a nasty antic with a team owner on Sunday. Following that, the big suspension news saw the light of day, hours before the teams locked horns in Game 5.
The Nuggets dominated the first two games with huge margins with emphatic performances from Jokic and Jamal Murray. While fans expected a clean sweep in the Suns’ home stretch, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker replied to the Denver side with strong answers.
Suns’ owner reacts to the Nikola Jokic antics
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In an unfortunate turn of events, Mat Ishbia caught a loose ball on the courtside in the first half of Sunday’s game. In an attempt to get possession of the ball, Nikola Jokic seemingly elbowed Ishbia. After the incident, NBA analysts and fans called out Jokic expecting a suspension for his actions.
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However, hours after the late-night shenanigans, the Suns’ owner took to his Twitter and made his intentions clear. In the tweet, Ishbia stated that ‘suspending or fining anyone over last nights incident would not be right’. Further, he added that he respects Jokic a lot and would not want such an outcome for the courtside incident.
Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far!
That should be and is the only story. Suspending or fining anyone over last nights incident would not be right. I have alot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) May 8, 2023
Despite the disrespectful act from Jokic, Ishbia’s reaction to the incident definitely surprised the NBA world
Following Ishbia’s tweet, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke an important update on the league’s decision. Wojnarowski wrote in a tweet, “No Game 5 suspension for Denver’s Nikola Jokic, source tells ESPN.”
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Magic Johnson and Shaq react to the Joker’s act
Soon after the disrespectful act, Magic Johnson took to his Twitter to take his stance on the affair. The Los Angeles Lakers legend definitely didn’t appreciate the elbowing act. He wrote, “I didn’t appreciate the elbow to my fellow Spartan and Suns Owner Mat Ishbia.”
Additionally, Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal shared the clip of the incident on his Instagram story. Several fans also swarmed social media comments to react to the incident.
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What do you make of the Phoenix Suns’ team owner’s statement after the disrespectful behavior from the Serbian star? Head down to the comments section and leave your opinion.