In the fourth quarter of the Portland Trail Blazers’ Game 6 win against the Denver Nuggets, four players were assessed technical fouls after they got into a shoving match.
In the middle of the final period, the game got intense when Nikola Jokic, Denver’s center, was cited for an offensive foul leading to a shoving match among the players, which required separation. Following a review, offsetting technicals were given to Denver’s Will Barton and Torrey Craig, and Portland’s Seth Curry and Zach Collins.
Barton told The Denver Post the scuffle started when Collins fell into his knee with 6 minutes and 16 seconds left in the quarter. Barton said he was trying to protect himself before pushing Curry.
“I wasn’t even looking for that. You just look at the replay,” Barton said, per The Denver Post. “Collins fell into my knees. I guess he thought I was trying to stand over the top of him, be tough. But I was just trying to get out of the way before I got injured. He pushed me. I’m not going to let nobody push me. That’s nothing.”
After the game, Curry vividly described the fourth quarter incident, stating that he was poked in the eye.
“He said, ‘I can’t let people poke me in the eye. That was truly audacious. There are some really audacious guys there, some leaders. We can’t tolerate that.'”
When questioned by journalists regarding the altercation, Barton stated that he did not foresee any more penalties from the NBA. He also didn’t believe it gave any extra incentive for Game 7.
“I’m not worried about no fines,” Barton said. “I’m not tripping off that. Hopefully no suspension for that. I think if I would’ve gotten suspended, I probably would’ve gotten ejected.
I won’t attempt to rationalize that as a method to enhance our performance or awaken our spirits. I simply perceive it as a manifestation of competitiveness inherent in playoff basketball, where certain events are bound to occur. If we all adopt a friendly demeanor on the court, it wouldn’t convey the impression of us striving for victory, would it?
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
