- Nikola Jokic is facing a possible suspension after making contact with Phoenix Suns’ owner Mat Ishbia.
- Jokic was assessed a technical foul for the incident, but was not ejected from Game 4 against the Suns.
- The incident occurred after the ball was deflected into courtside seats with 2:46 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Denver Nuggets’ superstar center Nikola Jokic could be forced to miss Game 5 following a skirmish with spectators sitting courtside.
At 2:36 of the 2nd quarter, the Suns’ Josh Okogie scrambled to save a loose ball to avoid a turnover. The ball landed in the lap of the Suns’ team owner, Mat Ishbia.
Okogie was unsuccessful in saving the ball for the Suns. The call on the court was a turnover and the Nuggets’ ball. Jokic had no intention of being patient and waiting on the refs to collect the ball.
The two-time MVP sprinted over to Ishbia and tried to free it from his grip. In the process of trying to retrieve the ball, it appeared that Jokic extended his forearm and made contact with Ishbia.
Because of this incident, BetOnline has released odds on whether or not Jokic will be suspended. Currently, the odds favor the two-time NBA MVP to avoid suspension.
“I don’t understand why [Joker] got a technical”
“Inside the NBA” crew debates Jokić’s technical foul call for incident with Suns governor Mat Ishbia pic.twitter.com/WxAGbtPtLd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 8, 2023
Jokic Will Not Be Suspended For Game 5, According To Betting Odds
If the odds at BetOnline are any indicator, Jokic will not be suspended against the Suns for Game 5. Currently, BetOnline has Jokic not being suspended at -500 odds.
Put differently, the implied probability of Jokic avoiding a suspension is 83.3%. Those look like pretty good odds for Jokic and the Nuggets.
The NBA would have likely been more willing to force Jokic to sit down in a regular season game. However, in a pivotal Game 5 of a 2-2 series, is the NBA willing to suspend Jokic?
At least, according to BetOnline, the NBA is not going to suspend Jokic. If you believe otherwise, you can bet on Jokic being issued a suspension. At +300 odds, a $100 wager would result in $300 in profit for a winning bet
Would suspending Jokic be an outrageous call by the NBA? There are many people that don’t see it as much of an issue, including Jokic. In post-game comments to reporters following the 129-124 loss, Jokic stated:
“He (ref) told me I was elbowing the fan, but the fan put his hand on me first. I thought the league is supposed to protect us or whatever, but maybe I’m wrong. We will see.”
Nikola Jokic on the incident with Suns owner Mat Ishbia: “He (ref) told me I was elbowing the fan, but the fan put the hand on me first. I thought the league is supposed to protect us or whatever, but maybe I’m wrong. We will see.” pic.twitter.com/Drp6N5SZ2M
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 8, 2023
Mat Ishbia Played College Basketball At Michigan State
Ishbia might own 57 percent of the Suns, but well before he was a respected businessman, he played for Tom Izzo at Michigan State.
The 43-year-old played college basketball in East Lansing, Michigan, from 1999 to 2002. With just 2.4 minutes and 0.6 points per game during his career, Ishbia was a deep reserve on the bench.
With that being said, there has been a popular opinion that Ishia flopped after Jokic made contact with him. As such, Ishbia is not a stranger to drawing contact on the basketball court.
Certainly, there is a case to be made that Ishbia embellished the whole incident after Jokic gave him a shove with his forearm. At 5-foot-10 and under 200 pounds, it may not have required much force to send Ishbia flying back into his seat.
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
On Monday, Ishbia issued a statement regarding the incident on Twitter. While the opinion of team owners does not impact the league office when it comes to player suspensions, Ishbia is not ecstatic about forcing Jokic to sit out Game 5.
According to Ishia, he would rather focus on the win than his run-in with Jokic courtside. He will likely get his wish. However, his team would be in much better shape for Game 5 if the NBA comes down hard on Jokic with a suspension.
Nikola Jokic on his interaction with Suns owner Mat Ishbia. pic.twitter.com/9z1vhsgBsC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 8, 2023
Not The First On-Court Physical Confrontation For Jokic
Jokic’s battle for the ball with Ishbia is not the first time that he has gotten physical during a game. On November 8, 2021, Jokic ran at Markieff Morris and elbowed him from behind following a hard foul at halfcourt.
As Morris walked away, Jokic charged at him from behind and knocked him down. Morris was down on the court for several minutes before being ushered off the court with some help.
Morris was assessed a flagrant foul 2, while Jokic received an ejection from the game. Jokic and the Morris brothers had a history together. It wasn’t a mistake that they got involved in an incident on the court.
For their roles in the on-court confrontation, Jokic was suspended for one game and Morris was issued a $50,000 fine. Jokic has a history of getting too physical, but it is hard to compare what happened here to last night.
There was a clear intention to hit Morris and possibly injure him. Yeah, perhaps Morris sold it by laying on the court for longer than he could have. That being said, Jokic made no mistake about intentionally checking Morris.
Whereas with Ishbia, Jokic used his forearm to give the owner a slight shove. Again, also note, this happened in Game 4 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Suspending Jokic would likely dictate what happens next in this competitive series.
Game 5 between the Suns and Nuggets is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. PST at Ball Arena in Denver.
