The Dallas Mavericks won 98-89 against the Phoenix Suns on Friday, but the game made news for something other than basketball. During the game, there was a fight between Dallas’ Naji Marshall and Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic. Because of this, the NBA has suspended both players.
Naji Marshall was suspended for four games, and Jusuf Nurkic got a three-game ban. Mavericks forward P.J. Washington was also suspended for one game without pay for making the fight worse.
The fight happened in the third quarter when Nurkic got an offensive foul while guarded by Daniel Gafford. Nurkic swung at Marshall’s head, and Marshall hit back with a punch. The two had to be separated.
🚨The NBA is suspending Naji Marshall for four games and Jusuf Nurkic for three games pic.twitter.com/uktsvaSSp2
— NBAFanBoy (@NBAFanBoyHQ) December 28, 2024
Marshall’s suspension starts right away, meaning he will miss the Mavericks’ game against the Trail Blazers. Nurkic will also start his suspension immediately, missing the Suns’ game against the Warriors.
Former NBA champion explains Naji Marshall and Jusuf Nurkic’s suspensions
Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins shared his thoughts on the suspensions given to Naji Marshall and Jusuf Nurkic after their fight in the Saturday night game. Perkins, who won a title with the Boston Celtics in 2008, used social media to express his dissatisfaction with the league’s decision, believing the punishment to be excessive.
The league got this one wrong. Nurkic started and swung first. Marshall should have only gotten 2 games max. https://t.co/3ZIdrb0sE3
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) December 28, 2024
He said on Twitter, “The league got this one wrong. Nurkic started and swung first. Marshall should have only gotten 2 games max” in response to Shams Charania’s tweet.
