Nikola Jokic will play Game 5 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs between Denver Nuggets e Phoenix Suns.
The NBA decided to punish the Serbian with a $25,000 fine for pushing the Suns owner, Mat Ishbia. Very light penalty, then, for the Serb after the episode that caused much discussion in Game 4.
A decision that finds agreement with Ishbia himself, who wanted to dampen the spirits with a tweet even before the fines were made official: “Great win for the Suns within an extraordinary series so far. This is the only thing that matters. It wouldn’t be fair to suspend or fine anyone for the incident the other night. I respect Jokic so much and would not want any of those things to happen. Loaded for game 5, go Suns!
Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far!
That should be and is the only story. Suspending or fining anyone over last nights incident would not be right. I have alot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!– Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) May 8, 2023
The great absent, therefore, will be Chris Paul, stopped again by the groin muscle injury that forced him to close Game 2 early and ousted him from the next two episodes of the series. Phoenix, therefore, will go to Colorado in the hunt for the 3-2 mark without its charismatic leader but with the Jokic – Murray duo in great form, as well as the Durant – Booker pair. One of the best double-headers of these NBA playoffs.