Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic earned a technical foul for shoving Suns governor Mat Ishbia during the second quarter of Game 4 of the Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns second round series in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Nikola Jokic shoved Suns owner Mat Ishbia, and Twitter said he flopped
Was this a flop?
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Jokic had just blocked a layup from Deandre Ayton, but the Suns touched it last and it was set to be Nuggets ball. Ishbia appeared to briefly hold the ball in the stands when Jokic ran over and tried to grab it so he could inbound it. Jokic ripped the ball out of Ishbia’s hands, and the ball landed a few rows back. As another fan went to pass the ball back to Jokic, the two-time MVP extended his off arm and sent the courtside Suns owner flying.
Watch video of it here:
Everyone on Twitter was saying that Ishbia flopped. It worked: the refs called a technical foul on Jokic. Kevin Durant made the technical free throw to tie the game.
Mark Jones even suggested Ishbia flopped on the broadcast. Is this the first time a team owner has ever directly influenced the play on the court?
Yes, Jokic is an incredibly strong human. He’s listed at 280 pounds, and he would have no problem tossing Ishbia across the arena if he wanted to. It does feel like Ishbia exaggerated the contact a bit, though.
The Suns beat the Nuggets, 129-124, in Game 4 to tie the series at 2-2. Ishbia tweeted that Jokic shouldn’t be suspended for Game 5 on Monday morning.
Jokic will not be suspended for Game 5:
The stakes of this game are getting to everyone, even the Suns’ owner.
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