NBA Hands Out 9 Games of Suspensions For Wild Brawl

After a wild brawl on Friday night in New Orleans between the Pelicans and the Miami Heat—a fracas that didn't seem to want to end—the NBA has stepped in and punished the perpetrators with a total of nine games of suspensions. Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and Heat center Thomas Bryant lead the way at three games apiece.

The incident began after a hard foul by Kevin Love on Zion Williamson, who hit the deck. And while Zion got up and walked away, the rest of the players on the floor got into it. 

"Things have turned ugly here in New Orleans," was the call on Bally Sports.

While Alvarado and Bryant get three games each and Nikola Jovic one game, all for leaving the bench area, Jimmy Butler and Naji Marshall each got one game for their participation. It was Marshall who actually grabbed Butler's neck, which caused the brouhaha to escalate. 

Zion, for his part, actually commended Love for breaking his fall after the hard fall. “I wasn’t tripping about K-Love because he actually protected me on my fall,” Williamson said. “All of a sudden I see [Jimmy] Butler kind of lunging toward Naji [Marshall], so I’m trying to get there like, ‘Yo, relax, like what’s going on?'”

The Pelicans will be without Alvarado and Marshall for their game Sunday night against the Chicago Bulls. The three Miami players will be out for their game on Monday against the Sacramento Kings.

The next matchup between these two teams is on March 22 in Miami. Get the popcorn out for that one.