The NBA on Sunday suspended five players involved in the skirmish during Friday night’s game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Miami Heat.
Heat center Thomas Bryant and Pelicans guard José Alvarado were suspended for three games for fighting and leaving the bench area. Heat guards Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jovic, along with Pelicans forward Naji Marshall, each received a one-game suspension.
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Pelicans forward Naji Marshall, left, and Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, right, fight during their game in New Orleans, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Butler will lose $260,000 in base salary due to his suspension. The remainder of the suspensions will cost the other four players around $115,000 combined.
The fight occurred late in the fourth quarter after a hard foul on Zion Williamson when the big man stepped up for a layup. Kevin Love did everything he could to frustrate Williamson.
Williamson hit the ground hard and a couple of his teammates rushed to make sure he was okay, with one pushing Love out of the way. Butler came back with a push of his own, and that’s when he and Marshall came face to face. As they faced each other, Marshall put his right hand around Butler’s throat and they had to be separated by members of both teams.
Miami Heat center Thomas Bryant, right, is restrained by Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas after getting into a fight with Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado in New Orleans, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 . (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
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Another view of the aftermath appeared to show Thomas Bryant, who had not yet been checked into the game, throwing a punch at José Alvarado, causing another commotion near the scorer’s table.
During that, a fan could be seen throwing an object in the direction of the players.
Butler said he didn’t think he should have been sent off.
“I put my hand around his neck. He put his hand around my neck,” she said of the incident with Marshall. “And he just took off like he did.”
Alvarado, Butler, Bryant and Marshall were ejected from the game.
Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, top left, stands on a chair and is surrounded by teammates after a fight with Miami Heat center Thomas Bryant in New Orleans, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
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The Heat won 106-95.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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