Mat Ishbia. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Suns owner doesn't want any punishments after skirmish with Nikola Jokic

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 5/8/23

Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia doesn't think anybody should get punished stemming from his skirmish with Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic during Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday night.

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!
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) May 8, 2023

Late in the second quarter, while unsuccessfully attempting to save a ball from going out of bounds, Josh Okogie of the Suns ended up in the lap of Ishbia in the first row. The Nuggets big man then went over to rip the ball away from Ishbia and appeared to push him back with his elbow.

Jokic was given a technical foul after the shove, but most viewers would agree that Phoenix's owner added quite a bit of flopping on the confrontation.

The two-time MVP finished the game with 53 points and 11 assists, but the Suns got 72 points combined from Devin Booker and Kevin Durant (36 apiece) to even the series with a 129-124 victory.

Game 5 is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday in Denver.

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