Jimmy Butler, Naji Marshall among 5 NBA players suspended after Heat-Pelicans incident
Miami’s Jimmy Butler and New Orleans’ Naji Marshall have been suspended one game apiece for instigating an on-court altercation, the NBA announced Sunday.
The incident happened during the Heat-Pelicans game Friday night.
Miami’s Thomas Bryant and New Orleans’ Jose Alvarado were both handed three-game suspensions for fighting and leaving the bench area. Miami’s Nikola Jovic also got a one-game suspension for leaving the bench area and entering the altercation, the league said.
Butler, who did not think he should have been ejected, will lose nearly $260,000 US in base salary because of his suspension. The rest of the suspensions will cost the four other players about $115,000, combined.
“I put my hand around his neck. He put his hand around my neck,” Butler said after the game of his incident with Marshall. “And it just took off the way it did.”
It started when Miami’s Kevin Love fouled New Orleans’ Zion Williamson under the Pelicans’ basket. Butler and Marshall “engaged in a physical altercation” after the foul, the league said, and Alvarado and Bryant then fought.
Alvarado, Bryant, Butler and Marshall were assessed technical fouls and ejected from the game, which the Heat won 106-95.
Alvarado will miss games Sunday against Chicago, Tuesday at New York and Wednesday at Indiana. Marshall will miss Sunday’s game against the Bulls.
Butler and Jovic will not play when Miami visits Sacramento on Monday and Bryant will miss that game, along with ones Tuesday at Portland and Thursday at Denver. Bryant played for the Nuggets last season when they beat the Heat in the NBA Finals.
Young to have surgery Tuesday
The Atlanta Hawks have lost all-star point guard Trae Young for at least four weeks with a left hand injury.
Young suffered a torn ligament in the fifth finger of his left hand during Friday night’s loss to Toronto, the team announced, and will have surgery Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
The team added he will be evaluated in four weeks.
The loss of Young comes as the Hawks, fighting for the final play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference, are facing front-line depth issues as centre Onyeka Okongwu recovers from a sprained left toe. Head coach Quin Snyder said Thursday that Okongwu “is not going to be available for the foreseeable future.”
Young, who made his third all-star team this year, leads Atlanta with his averages of 26.4 points and 10.8 assists per game. With the loss of Young, Dejounte Murray likely will assume primary ball-handling duties.
