Getty Suns owner Mat Ishbia.
Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia issued a strong tweet on his incident with Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic during Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals on May 7.
Ishbia tweeted that he doesn’t want to see Jokic get fined or suspended.
“Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far!,” Ishbia tweeted on May 8. “That should be and is the only story. Suspending or fining anyone over last night’s incident would not be right. I have a lot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!”
Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far!
That should be and is the only story. Suspending or fining anyone over last nights incident would not be right. I have alot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!
During the second quarter of Game 4, the ball went out of bounds and Ishbia grabbed it. Jokic went to go get the ball, but Ishbia wouldn’t let go of it. That’s when Jokic shoved the billionaire with his left arm.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Nikola Jokic just had a tense moment. Jokic received a technical foul for shoving Ishbia.
Jokic received a technical foul for pushing Ishbia. The Suns wound up beating the Nuggets by a final score of 129-124 to even up the best-of-seven series at 2-2. Game 5 is on May 9 in Denver and Ishbia wants to see Jokic out there with his Nuggets teammates.
Nikola Jokic Went Off About the Incident
During his postgame press conference after Game 4, Jokic didn’t hold back while discussing the minor scuffle with Ishbia.
“He (the ref) told me I was elbowing the fan,” Jokic said. “But the fan put the hand on me first. So I thought the league’s supposed to protect us or whatever. But maybe I’m wrong. So we will see.”
When a reporter asked Jokic if he knew the individual he shoved was Ishbia, the two-time MVP and future Hall of Famer said, “He’s a fan. I know who he is, but he’s a fan, isn’t he? Sitting on the court and he’s a fan, isn’t he? Whoever it is, he’s a fan. He cannot influence the game by holding the ball.”
Jokic finished with 53 points, four rebounds and 11 assists in 39 minutes in Game 4 while shooting 20-of-30 from the field, 1-of-3 from beyond the arc and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line. The five-time All-Star is averaging 30.8 points, 13.1 rebounds and 9.2 assists in the 2023 playoffs.
Nikola Jokic: Mat Ishbia Should Have Been Thrown Out of the Game
Jokic believes Ishbia should have been thrown out of Game 4 since he was “influencing” the contest by holding the ball.
“But his hands on me,” Jokic said. “So they’re not gonna protect me? They’re gonna protect the fan? Not me as a person, but I’m talking about as a player. I mean, they (the NBA) can do whatever of course. They don’t care. But I think they’re supposed to protect players. … I was trying to rip the ball and so he didn’t let go. So he’s influencing the game I think. I think he’s supposed to get kicked out if he’s influencing the game.”
Jokic is averaging 36.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and 9.5 assists in the Suns series. The 28-year-old is shooting 57.0% from the floor, 42.9% from 3-point land and 86.7% from the charity stripe.
Chris Paul Is Expected to Miss Game 5
Suns veteran point guard Chris Paul is expected to miss Game 5, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. However, CP3 could play in Game 6.
“The Suns are preparing to be without him for Game 5 as well… I think the window for him to return from that groin strain is Game 6 potentially”
@ShamsCharania with the latest on Chris Paul’s groin injury
Paul got injured in Game 2 and missed Games 3 and 4. He scored 11 points in Game 1 and eight in Game 2.