Suns owner opposed penalizing Jokic after Game 4 altercation
Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia didn't believe Nikola Jokic should be suspended or fined for their altercation during Sunday's Game 4 matchup with the Denver Nuggets.
Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far!
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) May 8, 2023
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!
Jokic was given an unsportsmanlike technical foul late in the second quarter for seemingly shoving Ishbia after the latter refused to give the basketball back to the two-time MVP.
The league reportedly announced Monday that Jokic will be fined $25,000 but will not be suspended for his actions. The NBA rulebook states that a player, coach, trainer, or other team bench person must be ejected for "deliberately entering the stands other than as a continuance of play."
Crew chief Tony Brothers explained postgame why he assessed Jokic with an unsportsmanlike technical foul instead of tossing him from the contest.
"I just deemed the technical foul the appropriate penalty for what happened over there," Brothers said. "He didn't just run over and hit a fan. There was some engagement, so I deemed the technical foul the appropriate penalty."
The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2 heading into Tuesday's Game 5 tilt in Denver.