Nikola Jokic avoids suspension for elbowing Suns owner / News - Basketnews.com

Nikola Jokic received a $25,000 fine for the incident that took place on Sunday night's game between the Suns and the Nuggets, when he pushed Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia.

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Nikola Jokic will not be suspended, the NBA announced Monday, as a result of his physical contact with Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia during the Nuggets' Game 4 loss Sunday night in Phoenix. The Western Conference semifinals are tied 2-2.

Nikola Jokic

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However, Jokic will be fined $25,000 for "making improper contact with a spectator sitting courtside," according to a news release from the league.

The contact in question took place with 2:36 to go until halftime of Phoenix’s 129-124 victory.

With the Nuggets leading 55-54, Jokic blocked the shot of Phoenix center Deandre Ayton, sending the ball out of bounds toward the baseline corner left of the basket. The ball landed in the arms of Ishbia, who purchased the Suns earlier this year.

When Jokic raced to Ishbia's seat to demand the ball, the owner appeared to hold on to it. The Nuggets center would say later that he had wanted to inbound the ball quickly to take advantage of a 5-on-4 opportunity.

Instead, tensions escalated. Jokic's attempts to dislodge the ball from Ishbia instead sent it careening back a few rows into the crowd. As the Serb reached out toward the crowd to plead for the ball, his left elbow bumped Ishbia, who fell back into his seat after the contact. Ishbia rose from his seat quickly as Jokic continued to plead for the ball.

Per NBA's rulebook, players are automatically ejected for "deliberately entering the stands other than as a continuance of play."

Officials seemed to agree once order was restored, issuing an unsportsmanlike technical foul to the Nuggets star but allowing him to remain in the game. Jokic finished with a team-high 53 points, which was also a new single-game best for the Serbian center in a playoff game.

However, crew chief and longtime NBA referee Tony Brothers likely muddied the issue with his comments to a pool reporter after the game, noting that Jokic was punished after having "deliberately (given Ishbia) a shove and pushed him down." Yet Brothers also declared the technical foul and lack of ejection to be appropriate for the contact made at the time.

"(A referee) told me I was elbowing the fan, but the fan put his hands on me first," Jokic told reporters after the game. "I thought the league is supposed to protect us. But maybe I’m wrong. Whoever (Ishbia) is, he’s a fan. He cannot influence the game by holding the ball. I think he’s supposed to get kicked out if he’s influencing the game."

Ishbia released a statement on Twitter Monday morning calling for there to be no suspension or fine for Jokic:

"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 night's incident would not be right. I have a lot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that."

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