After Kevin Love fouled Zion Williamson during a layup, a brawl broke out.
There will be a temporary shortage of players for the Miami Heat and New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams’ five suspended players got into a fight during their Friday night (Feb. 23) game.
The altercation began in the fourth quarter when Heat forward Kevin Love pursued Pelicans star Zion Williamson as he attempted a layup. It’s noteworthy that Love wrapped Williamson up instead of attempting a standard shot contest, explaining that he did so to keep him from tumbling to the ground.
As a result, Pelicans forward Naji Marshall and Heat star Jimmy Butler sparred and eventually left the court apart. Heat forward Nikola Jovic got up as a result of Heat center Thomas Bryant and Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado getting chippy close to the scorer’s table, leaving their respective benches.
Jose Alvarado, Naji Marshall, Jimmy Butler, and Thomas Bryant were all called for technical fouls, while Kevin Love’s foul was called a “common foul.” For “instigating and engaging” on the court, Butler, Marshall, and Jovic will each serve a one game suspension; Jovic will serve a single game for leaving the bench. Bryant and Alvarado will earn three-game penalties for fighting and abandoning their benches.
“It seemed as though Jimmy wasn’t entitled to a game on that,” Erik Spoelstra, head coach of the Miami Heat, stated. All that was actually going on was some tangling and slight pushing. He had to skip the fourth quarter (Friday), so I don’t think it warrants another game. Yet things are as they are. Nobody desires for things to get to that point.
Right now, the Heat are ranked No. 7 in the Eastern Conference and No. 7 in the Western Conference, respectively. They will have to participate in the Play-In Tournament to earn a spot in the NBA Playoffs if they maintain these positions for the remainder of the season.
