The NBA announced that Mavericks forward Naji Marshall has been suspended four games without pay and Suns center Jusuf Nurkic has been suspended three games without pay. Additionally, the league suspended Mavericks forward P.J. Washington for one game without pay for "escalating [an] on-court altercation."
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The ruling was made in response to an incident that happened during Dallas' 98-89 victory over Phoenix on Friday night.
A few minutes into the second half, Naji Marshall got into it with Jusuf Nurkic about a hard foul he'd just committed. The altercation developed past words once Nurkic took an open-handed swing at his head, prompting Marshall to respond with a punch. After Dallas forward PJ Washington forcibly shoved the Suns big man, all three men were ejected from play.
In their statement, the NBA mentioned reports from referees that claim Naji Marshall "attempted to further engage Nurkic in a hostile manner in the corridor outside the locker rooms."
Marshall continued to stoke the flames after the game, changing his banner on X to a snapshot of him throwing the punch at Nurkic.
For all the aggression and discombobulation, the Mavericks were still able to pull away with a victory and currently sit in the top half of the Western Conference. However, the season is relatively young, and the loss of their offensive catalyst Luka Doncic could prove difficult for Dallas.
Doncic suffered a left calf strain during Dallas' Christmas Day match against the Minnesota Timberwolves and will be re-evaluated in a month.
Luka Doncic has a history of injuries to that calf, most recently missing all this season's training camp and preseason because of a contusion. He also missed the first three games of the 2022 playoffs after straining it during the regular-season finale and was sidelined for most of the 2023 preseason after straining it during a practice in Madrid.
