May 5, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) against the Phoenix Suns during game three of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was given a technical foul for pushing Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia during Game 4 on Sunday.
The Denver Nuggets are looking to hold off the Phoenix Suns, who cut their second-round series deficit to 2-1 on a 121-114 Game 3 win. On Sunday, the Nuggets had the chance to take a 3-1 lead in the series with the chance to end things in Denver for Game 5. But, things got a bit tense between Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia. Yes, you read that correctly.
Late in the second quarter, Suns guard Josh Okogie crashed into courtside seats at the Footprint Center as he went for the loose ball, looking to prevent it from going out of bounds. After Okogie fell into the seats, Ishbia was left holding onto the basketball. Jokic walked over and ripped the basketball out of Ishbia’s hands, and then gave him a push with his elbow. That caused Isbhia to fall back into his seat, with his arms waving in the air.
Nikola Jokic pushes Suns owner Mat Ishbia during Game 4, gets technical foul
You be the judge, was this a flop by the new Suns owner? Let’s take a look at some alternate camera angles of the incident.
Whether or not you believed it was a flop by Ishbia, the referees issued some punishment towards the two-time NBA MVP. After this incident with Ishbia, Jokic was assessed an unsportsmanlike technical foul. The Suns entered halftime with a 63-61 lead. Jokic led the Nuggets with 24 points scored.
According to The Athletic, a fan was removed from their seat for making contact with Jokic during the skirmish.
Both the Nuggets and Suns are looking to win this series to clinch a spot in the Western Conference Finals, where they will play either the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors. While the end result of Game 4 will be important, everyone in the NBA world is going to be talking about the incident between Jokic and Ishbia.
