Despite Nikola Jokić dropping 53 points for the Nuggets and the Suns working their way back from a two-game deficit to knot this heavyweight series at two games apiece, we’re all seemingly focused on the bizarre incident between the two-time MVP and Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia.
A recap if you need it: Late in the second quarter at the Footprint Center, a loose ball went out of bounds along the baseline, with Suns wing Josh Okogie trying and failing to save it. Okogie fell into some fans sitting courtside, and, as they tried to help him to his feet, Jokić—perhaps seeing an opportunity to inbound the ball faster and attack Phoenix’s defense without Okogie ready for play—abruptly tried to snatch the ball from the courtside fan who was holding it.
The fan, who maintained an airtight grasp on the ball as Jokić tried wresting it from him, happened to be Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia, who bought the teams just before the trade deadline. And as the ball went flying further into the crowd during the jousting match between the men, the 7-footer then gave Ishbia a chicken wing of sorts, prompting the 5'10" billionaire to fall into his chair. “And Jokić, a little bit of contact—boy, that could get a little dangerous,” TNT announcer Spero Dedes said as the incident unfolded on television.
