SI:AM | Jokić Incident Overshadows Suns’ Win Over Nuggets
Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Yesterday afternoon, I thought I’d be writing about James Harden’s big game to lead the Sixers over the Celtics. But then Nikola Jokić and Matt Ishbia seized control of the news cycle.
In today’s SI:AM:
☀️ Jokić’s run-in with the Suns’ owner
✈️ How the Jets pulled off the Rodgers trade
🧑🎓 Bronny James’s college choice
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Will Jokić hear from the league?
Nikola Jokić showed again last night why he has won back-to-back MVP awards, scoring a career high 53 points on 20-of-30 shooting. But the Nuggets lost to the Suns, 129–124, to tie the series at two games apiece—and, most importantly, Denver will have to hope that Jokić is available to play in Game 5 tomorrow night after a strange run-in with Phoenix’s owner on the sideline.
The incident occurred late in the first half after a Jokić block. Suns guard Josh Okogie chased the loose ball, and it landed in the hands of Phoenix owner Matt Ishbia as Okogie fell into the stands. Jokić grabbed the ball from Ishbia and then shoved the owner with one arm. Ishbia, who played basketball at Michigan State, sold the shove with a classic arms-in-the-air flop. (You can see multiple angles of the interaction here.)
Jokić was assessed a technical foul but was not ejected. He explained after the game that he was trying to retrieve the ball quickly to restart play while Okogie was still tangled up in the crowd, hoping to get a five-on-four advantage. Jokić added that he felt Ishbia started it.
“[Referee Tony Brothers] told me I was elbowing the fan, but the fan put the hand on me first. I thought the league is supposed to protect us, or whatever,” Jokić told reporters.
Jokić said he knew who Ishbia was, but in the moment, he was no different than any other fan.
“But his hands [were] on me, so they’re not going to protect me? They’re going to protect the fan?” he added. “He’s influencing the game. I think he’s supposed to get kicked out if he’s influencing the game.”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone echoed those sentiments more forcefully. He called Ishbia “some fan” who “was holding the ball like he wants to be part of the game.” After being informed that the fan was the Suns’ new owner, Malone said, “I don’t give a s---. I really don’t care.”
A suspension is not out of the question but would be an overreaction. If you watch the video closely, Ishbia appears to bump Jokić with his chest before the shove, and Jokić’s push is as gentle as you could expect under the circumstances. A technical foul in the moment and a fine assessed after the fact sounds like the right punishment. A series-altering suspension would be too severe. If the incident had occurred during the regular season, a one-game suspension would be more palatable, but the calculus needs to be different in the postseason. You can’t let an owner bait an opponent’s star player into getting himself disqualified from a tied series.
The best of Sports Illustrated
Tom Horak/USA Today network
- Albert Breer wrote today’s Daily Cover story on the six-week saga that was the Aaron Rodgers–to-the-Jets trade negotiation. It’s filled with wild scenarios, including one team’s internet going out while Rodgers made his fateful declaration on The Pat McAfee Show in March.
- Mage’s come-from-behind win at the Kentucky Derby in a race that “was so compelling that it was almost—almost—as if nothing bad had happened,” Pat Forde writes.
- With Game 4 tonight (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT), the Knicks need more from Julius Randle to even their series with the Heat, Rohan Nadkarni writes.
- James Harden erupted again for 42 points and a game-winning three to help the Sixers tie the Celtics at two games apiece.
- Bronny James has made his college choice. Kevin Sweeney writes about how the high-profile guard will fit in at his new school.
- Sweeney also released his top 50 prospects for this year’s NBA draft. Things get interesting after Victor Wembanyama at No. 1.
- Bad Bunny returned to WWE on Saturday and had the best match of the night at the Backlash pay-per-view. Justin Barrasso writes that that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
- Tom Verducci lists five MLB teams that might be about to smash the proverbial panic button.
- Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the Miami Grand Prix, which was the first of three Formula One races to be held in the United States this year. The event was quite the spectacle, with celebrities flocking to the Miami International Autodrome at Hard Rock Stadium.
The top five...
… things I saw yesterday:
5. The USC women’s beach volleyball team celebrating its national championship three-peat by running into the Gulf of Mexico.
4. The Angels’ “fun fact” about Rangers catcher Jonah Heim.
3. Juan Soto’s contribution to the Padres’ pet calendar.
2. Al Horford’s lockdown defense on Joel Embiid in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
1. Sam Reinhart’s wrap-around goal in overtime to give the Panthers the win and a 3–0 series lead over the Maple Leafs.
SIQ
On this day in 1994, the first professional women’s baseball team in 40 years played its first game. What company was their primary sponsor and gave the team a name referencing their product?
- Louisville Slugger
- Coors
- Coca Cola
- American Airlines
Friday’s SIQ: What is Sixers forward P.J. Tucker’s given first name?
- Paul
- Patrick
- Stephen
- Anthony
Answer: Anthony. The name on his birth certificate is Anthony Leon Tucker Jr., and, growing up, Anthony Sr. took to calling his son Pops Junior, or P.J. for short. The nickname stuck, and that’s how NBA fans know him today. It’s sort of similar to how former MLB player B.J. Upton got his name. Upton’s father was known as Bossman, and people started calling the young Upton (whose given name is Melvin) Bossman Junior.
Tucker has had one of the most fascinating NBA careers in recent memory. As an undersized forward (6'5") he was drafted in the second round by the Raptors in 2006 but saw limited action as a rookie. After being cut by Toronto, he spent five years playing overseas in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy and Germany before making it back to the NBA in ’12 with the Suns. Sports Illustrated ranked him No. 85 on its list of the top 100 NBA players before the ’18–19 season, although his contributions aren’t immediately evident in a box score. He was well into his 30s by the time he reached his full potential and became a key piece of some title contenders with the Rockets. He won a ring with the Bucks in ’21 and started every game for the Heat in their run to the conference finals last year. Now he’s doing the same for the Sixers.
