Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer isn’t pleased about the controversial altercation of Jusuf Nurkic against Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall.
In his media availability following the Suns’ 98-89 loss against the Mavericks, Budenholzer seemingly called out the actions of Nurkic and the others that led to multiple ejections on Friday night.
“I think that level of altercation is not good for our team,” Budenholzer said. “It’s not good for anybody individually, it’s not good for our league. I don’t know all the details of what got it to that point.
“I don’t think you want guys an altercation to reach that level, ever.”
Tempers flared at the 9:02 mark of the third frame when Nurkic as well as Marshall went at it.
It all started when the Suns big man charged hard against Daniel Gafford in the low post, leading to an offensive foul call from an official. Visibly in pain, Gafford remained on the floor and was assisted by Marshall, P.J. Washington, and Kyrie Irving.
Upon walking away, Nurkic immediately returned and went head-to-head against Marshall. Nurkic initiated the fracas by smacking the Dallas wingman in the head, prompting Marshall to fire a sucker punch.
In the process, Washington shoved Nurkic away. Players had to be separated and officials from both teams stepped in to stop the commotion.
The three of Nurkic, Marshall, and Washington were eventually slapped with technical fouls and removed from the game. The Phoenix center ended the night with 3 points and 5 boards in 11 minutes, while Washington and Marshall chipped in 7 and 4 markers, respectively.
Contrary to Budenholzer, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd offered his personal insight about the intense event that ensued.
“They were protecting each other,” Kidd said after the game. “That’s what that was. Emotions can get high. For our guys to protect each other, we talk about it and it was displayed tonight. It’s good to see those guys protect each other now we move on and gotta get ready for Portland [Trail Blazers] tomorrow.”
With how things have escalated, fines or even suspensions could be on the way for Nurkic, Marshall, and Washington. Last April, the Suns big man was previously fined $2,000 for flopping against the Sacramento Kings.
Both the Mavericks and the Suns will still meet for one final play in their 2024-25 regular season series on March 9. From what happened earlier, we can only monitor how Nurkic and Marshall will behave in their potential encounter again in the next three months.
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