On Monday night, the Denver Nuggets‘ Nikola Jokic and Miami Heat’s Markief Morris hit one another in the middle of the game. The incident stopped the game for a bit but prompted the NBA to take action against the involved players.
Jokic has been suspended one game for shoving Morris in the back. That means Jokic didn’t play on Wednesday when the Nuggets host Indiana. Also, Morris won’t be playing on Wednesday as he has a neck injury, diagnosed as whiplash.
Morris was fined $50,000 for his role in the mess, and Heat forward Jimmy Butler drew a $30,000 fine “for attempting to escalate the altercation and failing to comply with an NBA Security interview as part of the review process pertaining to an on-court matter,” the league said.
“It’s a situation that I think we’ll all learn from, not allowing emotions to get the best of us,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Tuesday, a few hours before the decision by NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell was announced.
It all started late in the Denver-Miami game, shortly after the Heat ire was raised when no call was made after they thought Jokic fouled Bam Adebayo. Morris stopped play a few seconds later by intentionally crashing into Jokic from the side, a foul that referees called flagrantly. Jokic then blindsided Morris with a hard shove from behind. Heat players were livid at what they perceived to be a cheap shot from Jokic, and so was Marcus Morris — Markieff Morris’ twin and fellow NBA player.
Morris stayed on the ground for a few minutes before Heat trainers ran on to check his status. Heat and Nuggets players met in a scuffle near half-court. Referees separated the teams and ejected Jokic and Morris. Butler also received a technical foul for his role in the scuffle, but he was not ejected. Jokic scored 25 points and totaled 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the victory.
