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The NBA acted quickly in issuing penalties to the players involved in a brawl during Friday night’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.
Dallas’ Naji Marshall has been suspended for four games without pay, while Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkić received a three-game penalty (also without pay) for their involvement in the scuffle, NBA head of basketball operations Joe Dumars announced in a statement.
Additionally, the Mavericks’ P.J. Washington was suspended one game for “escalating the on-court altercation.”
Though Marshall was likely to receive the longer suspension since he threw a punch, the NBA’s statement explained that the Mavericks forward attempted to confront Nurkić again after their ejections outside the teams’ locker rooms.
The melee occurred during the third quarter when Nurkić elbowed Dallas center Daniel Gafford in the jaw, resulting in an offensive foul. Nurkić then walked down the court, but turned back in response to something Marshall said.
As Marshall put his hands on Nurkić’s chest to keep him at a distance, the Suns’ big man smacked Marshall in the head. The Mavericks forward responded by punching Nurkić with his right hand.
Here’s the sequence that led to three ejections. Nurkic extends his arm, fouls Gafford. Nurkic mushes Marshall’s head. Marshall punches back. pic.twitter.com/1yoZTP9Kyj
— Christian Clark (@cclark_13) December 28, 2024
Marshall, Nurkić and Washington were each ejected from the game, which eventually ended in a 98–89 Mavericks victory.
As the NBA explained, Marshall received the longer suspension because he threw a punch and tried to resume hostilities. Yet his adding an image of the moment to the banner of his X account soon after the incident demonstrated that he had no remorse for his actions. (Marshall has since changed the banner image.)
Marshall finished with four points, while Washington compiled seven. Nurkić scored five points before being ejected.
All three players will begin serving their suspensions Saturday. The Mavericks (20–11) continue their four-game road trip at the Portland Trail Blazers with Luka Dončić (calf strain) and Dereck Lively II (hip contusion) also out of the lineup due to injuries. The Suns (15–15) visit the Golden State Warriors.