The NBA has issued suspensions following a fight that took place between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.

The altercation occurred during the Mavericks’ 98-89 victory over the Suns on Friday in Phoenix. The conflict erupted with 9:02 left in the third quarter after Suns center Jusuf Nurkić committed an offensive foul on Mavericks center Daniel Gafford while Dallas was ahead 60-44. Following the foul, Nurkić approached Dallas forward Naji Marshall and escalated the situation by hitting Marshall in the head. In response, Marshall threw a punch at Nurkić.

Both players were removed from the game. The next day, Nurkić received a three-game suspension without pay, while Marshall was hit with a four-game ban without pay. The NBA pointed out that Marshall “tried to engage Nurkić in a confrontational manner in the hallway outside the locker rooms” after the incident on the court, which likely contributed to his heavier penalty.

Dallas forward P.J. Washington — who pushed Nurkić after the altercation with Marshall — was also ejected and suspended for one game without pay due to his role in “escalating” the incident.

After the game, Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer remarked that the incident is “harmful to everyone involved.”

“Such altercations are detrimental for our team and the league,” he expressed, adding that he was unaware of all the details leading up to the incident.

Conversely, Dallas head coach Jason Kidd commended his players for standing up for one another.

“It was about looking out for each other,” Kidd stated on Friday. “Emotions can run high among teammates. I was glad to see our players support one another. Now we need to focus and prepare for Portland.”

Dallas star Kyrie Irving offered to pay any fines that Marshall and Washington might incur: “That’s just part of basketball sometimes. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this. Maybe this is how we wrap up 2024 — with someone throwing punches in the NBA. It could even boost our ratings.”