The NBA has suspended Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic for one game for "forcefully shoving" the Miami Heat's Markieff Morris on Monday.
Morris was fined $50,000 for a Flagrant 2 foul that precipitated the incident, which saw both players ejected from the game. The Nuggets went on to win 113-96.
Miami's Jimmy Butler also was fined $30,000 for "attempting to escalate the altercation" and refusing to submit to an interview with NBA security as it investigated the matter.
Jokic reacted angrily when Morris came in with a hard foul at midcourt with 2:39 to play in the game, catching his opponent with a left elbow to the chest.
Last season's NBA MVP charged after Morris and responded with a right forearm shove to the back, sending the Heat player crashing heavily to the court.
Both teams' coaching staffs sprang from their benches to try and restore order along with the referees.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra called it a "very dangerous, dirty play" by Jokic, who expressed regret following the game.
"It's a stupid play. I feel bad. I am not supposed to react that way," Jokic told reporters. "... I just needed to protect myself. I felt bad. I am not supposed to react that way, but I need to protect myself."
Jokic will have to sit out Denver's game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
The sight of Stephen Curry dazzling in the NBA will never get old for Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
Curry was in sensational form once again as the Warriors moved to a league-best 9-1 for the season with a 127-113 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks.
He had a season-high 50 points, to go alongside 10 assists. In 35 minutes, he was 14-for-28 from the field, nine-for-19 at the three-point range and drained each of his 13 free throws.
The accolades just keep on coming for an all-time NBA great. This performance marked the 10th 50-point game of his career, while he joined Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry as the only Warriors players in franchise history to put up a line of 50 points and 10 assists.
At 33, Curry is now also the oldest player to record a 50-10 game, surpassing the legendary Chamberlain, while only Michael Jordan (5) has more than his four 50-point games at the age of 32 or older.
"That was just a stunning performance by Steph," Kerr said of Curry.
"He was amazing. I want to say I've never seen anything like it but I've been watching it for seven years, so I have seen something like it and still it's just incredible to watch.
"It doesn't get old, for sure."
Curry's final act of the evening was typically brilliant as he drained a 16-footer with just under four minutes of time remaining, leaving the court to a standing ovation at the Chase Center.
"It's always nice. You never come out with like a certain number in mind," Curry said.
"It's just when you get it going, you just keep going."
Nikola Jokic said "I need to protect myself" but admits he regrets the "stupid play" that saw him ejected for a violent shove on Markieff Morris in the Denver Nuggets' 113-96 win over the Miami Heat.
League MVP Jokic reacted angrily when Morris came in with a hard foul midcourt, catching his opponent with a left elbow to the chest.
Jokic furiously chased Morris down and responded with a right forearm shove to the back, sending the Heat star crashing heavily to the court.
A suspension and fine could now be on the cards for Jokic, who later rued his moment of madness.
"It's a stupid play. I feel bad. I am not supposed to react that way," he told reporters.
"I thought it was going to be a take foul. I think it was a dirty play. And I just needed to protect myself. I felt bad. I am not supposed to react that way, but I need to protect myself."
He added: "I don't know who showed me the clip, and actually his head snapped back [after the shove], so I feel really bad. It's a bad move."
It poses a potential dilemma for Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who was without the already injured Jamal Murray on Monday, while Michael Porter Jr. was absent with a lower back issue.
If Jokic is suspended as well, the Nuggets could be without their three best players when they face the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
"I will concern myself when they tell us he's suspended," Malone said.
"I am not going to waste any of my time looking into my crystal ball and my tea leaves. I don't have any of that.
"He's available until they tell me he's not. And I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be available Wednesday night."
Jokic's indiscretion came with just two minutes and 39 seconds remaining in a game where he had produced a triple-double of 25 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra labelled Jokic's retaliation as "uncalled for".
"That was a very dangerous and dirty play," he said.
"Keef took a foul, and it was one of those fastbreak-take fouls, and he did with his shoulder. You might deem that maybe as a little bit more than just slapping somebody, but after watching it on film, it was a take foul.
"That's how I saw it. And the play after, that's just absolutely uncalled for."
The Nuggets moved to 6-4 with the win to sit sixth in the Western Conference, while the 7-3 Heat are second in the east.
Stephen Curry posted 50 points and 10 assists to guide the NBA-leading Golden State Warriors to a 127-113 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Curry enjoyed a season-high night in terms of points as the Warriors won for the ninth time in their opening 10 games of the 2021-22 campaign on Monday.
The two-time MVP became the only NBA player in the last 25 years to have 50-plus points, 10-plus assists and a plus-minus of 30 or better in a single game, according to Stats Perform.
Curry, who had seven rebounds and nine three-pointers, also joined James Harden as the only players to put up 50-plus points, 10-plus assists in 35 minutes or fewer in the last 40 seasons.
The three-time champion became the third Warriors player in franchise history with at least 10 50-point games.
Bulls stop star-studded Nets
Kevin Durant recorded 38 points and 10 rebounds but the Brooklyn Nets still lost 118-95 at the Chicago Bulls. All of Chicago's starters – DeMar DeRozan (28), Zach Lavine (24), Nikola Vucevic (11 and 13 rebounds), Lonzo Ball (11) and Javonte Green (11) – finished with double-digit points to snap Brooklyn's five-game winning streak.
In the absence of Joel Embiid (health and safety protocol), Andre Drummond had 14 points and 25 rebounds for the Philadelphia 76ers. He became the first 76er with 25-plus rebounds in a game since Charles Barkley in 1987. Shorthanded Eastern Conference leaders the 76ers lost 103-96 to the New York Knicks, however.
Russell Westbrook (17 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds), Anthony Davis (32 points and 12 rebounds) and Carmelo Anthony (29 points on seven-of-10 three-pointers) helped the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Charlotte Hornets 126-123 in overtime. LaMelo Ball had a triple-double of 25 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists for the Hornets.
Jokic loses his head
The Denver Nuggets upstaged the high-flying Miami Heat 113-96, despite having reigning MVP Nikola Jokic ejected. Jokic registered a triple-double of 25 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists before he was tossed for violently slamming his shoulder into Markieff Morris late in the final period.
Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. will be sidelined for the "foreseeable future" due to a back injury.
Porter left Saturday's 95-94 win over the lowly Houston Rockets in the opening quarter because of back tightness and sat out Monday's NBA game against the high-flying Miami Heat.
Prior to Denver's matchup with Miami, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said Porter will continue to undergo testing on his back.
"There's no doubt, regardless of his mood, we all have to support Michael, just like we support Jamal [Murray]," Malone said.
"And again, Michael could be back in a week, it could be more than that. So when I say, 'foreseeable future,' I'm not really sure what that means, I just know that he's not playing tonight."
"This is a process where we're being very cautious, talking to doctors, getting imaging all that kind of stuff," Malone added.
Porter, who signed a max contract before the start of the season, has been averaging 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 2021-22.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was awestruck as the Milwaukee Bucks became the first NBA champions to visit the White House in five years.
An annual tradition of the NBA champions making their way to the official residence of the United States president in Washington was put on hold during Donald Trump's term – the Cleveland Cavaliers were the last titleholder to visit the White House when Barack Obama hosted in 2016.
That hiatus ended on Monday when superstar Antetokounmpo and the Bucks – who claimed their first championship since 1971 last season – took centre stage alongside president Joe Biden.
"This is awesome," Antetokounmpo said. ... "A kid from Sepolia, Athens, Greece — grew up from two Nigerian parents who were struggling every day to provide for us. ... It's an unbelievable opportunity to be able to be in the White House meeting the president of the United States.
"I could not be as honoured and happy that something like this — that I've accomplished something like this in my life."
Antetokounmpo added: "For everybody out there, this is a great example that with hard work, with sacrifices — if you dedicate yourself to waking up every single day and try to get better in anything you do, in anything you love and believe in your dreams — you can accomplish great things in life.
"Man, as I said. I've done that my whole life. And I'm in the White House."
Biden hailed the Bucks for their efforts to promote coronavirus vaccinations and for speaking out following the 2020 police shooting of Jacob Blake.
The NBA postponed games in 2020 after the Bucks announced they would not participate in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series, Milwaukee seeking to shed light on racial injustices.
"You took a stand for justice and peace in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and you've gotten people engaged," Biden said.
Collin Sexton is set for an extended period on the sidelines after sustaining a torn meniscus in his left knee, dealing a blow to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers have made an impressive 7-4 start to the season, with Sexton playing a pivotal role by leading the team in scoring at an average of 16 points per game.
However, he went off hurt in the 126-109 win against the New York Knicks on Sunday – Cleveland's fourth straight victory.
No timetable has been supplied for Sexton's return as further examination of his injury is still required, according to the team.
A Cavs statement read: "Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton left Sunday night's road game at New York in the second quarter with a left knee injury and did not return to action.
"Further examination of the injury and an MRI administered today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health revealed a meniscus tear.
"Sexton will undergo additional evaluation after which time his status will be updated."
Sexton is in his fourth season in the league and has only missed 12 games during his NBA career.
Cavs team-mate Kevin Love tweeted: "Damn @CollinSexton02 heal fast you brother know you'll put in the work."
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