Dani Diez suspended for two games by ACB for punching Lluis Costa / News - Basketnews.com

Dani Diez punched Lluis Costa in the face after getting tapped on the cheek following a foul by Costa. Both players got suspended for two games.

Credit: Screen capture Credit Screen capture

March 5th's Spanish Liga Endesa (ACB) game between Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Coviran Granada had an unpleasant turn of events at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Both instigators of the incident have been punished.

ACB announced that both Baskonia's Dani Diez and Granada's Lluis Costa have been suspended for two games.

The EuroLeague club appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but it got denied, and the league's decision remained standing.

The conflict began with 9:33 remaining in the game after Costa ran into Diez who was setting a screen to free up Max Heidegger. Diez fell to the ground. After getting up, Costa tapped Diez on his left cheek which provoked a more serious reaction from the Spanish forward.

He punched him in the face with his right hand, knocking Costa down to the ground. Diez immediately received an unsportsmanlike foul. After review, both players were awarded disqualifying fouls and had to leave the game.

Both Costa and Diez will have to miss Gameweeks 23 and 24 of the ACB.

"I understand that they have taken what happened as an assault, but it is not an assault. The club considers that it is excessive, even more so when dealing with a player who has never had a problem, [who's] educated, [and] who has never been sent off and who has good behavior and communication with the referees," Granada's head coach Pablo Pin said about Costa.

"I don't know if Mirotic or Rudy would get [suspended for] two games. Lluis is screwed because he never gets out of the way. It is damage for him and for the club to have to lose a very important player," he commented.

Footage of the incident:

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