NBA hands out suspensions for fight between Suns, Mavericks

The two players jawed back and forth during a stoppage in the game before Jurkic slapped Marshall across the side of his head with an open right palm.

Marshall retaliated by throwing a punch at Nurkic.

Mavs forward PJ Washington was also ejected during Friday's game for shoving Nurkic and received a one-game suspension from the league.

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania shared an excerpt from the NBA's announcement of the punishments that revealed why Marshall received the harshest penalty.

"Following the on-court incident, Marshall attempted to further engage Nurkic in a hostile manner in the corridor outside the locker rooms," the NBA wrote.

The Mavericks (20-11, fourth in Western Conference) won the game, 98-89, handing the Suns (15-15, 10th in Western Conference) their seventh loss in their last 10 games.

The suspensions could be significant for both teams. Nurkic leads the Suns in rebounds (9.5 per game). He ranks second in total rebound rate (22%), only trailing Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (22.8%).

Phoenix has struggled rebounding as a team this season, ranking 25th in rebounds per game (42.7).

Marshall's loss will test the Mavericks' front-court depth. Dallas announced earlier this week that 2023-23 scoring champion point guard Luka Doncic suffered a calf strain on Christmas Day against the Timberwolves and will be re-evaluated in a month.

This season, Marshall has appeared in 26 games (eight starts) and is averaging a career-high 10.9 points per game while shooting 52.8%, which is also the best of his five-year NBA career.

The Mavericks will need big performances from veterans Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson over their next four games to keep from losing ground in the West.

Dallas plays three of its next four games on the road, including New Year's Day against the Southwest Division rival Rockets (21-10, third in Western Conference). Its one home game during the stretch is against the Cavaliers (27-4, first in Eastern Conference), who have the league's best record.