SI

Jose Alvarado Challenges 7'1" Mark Williams in Suns-Pelicans Fracas

Though small, the New Orleans guard is fierce.

Patrick Andres

Jose Alvarado made his presence known against the Suns on Saturday.
Jose Alvarado made his presence known against the Suns on Saturday. / Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network
In this story:

At the team level, 10 games separate the Suns and Pelicans in the standings. At the individual level, 11 inches separate Phoenix center Mark Williams and New Orleans guard Jose Alvarado in height.

However, NBA melees have a way of bringing every strand of squad and player together. On Saturday, Williams and Alvarado exchanged contact during a third-quarter sequence that quickly morphed into full-on shoving. At one point, Alvarado reached up and appeared to throw a closed-fist punch at the Duke product.

Officials ejected both players after the fight, and the Suns eventually finished off a 123–114 win. Williams finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Alvarado contributed seven points to his team.

Alvarado has enjoyed an agitator role throughout his five-year career, but this incident appeared to shock even his Pelicans teammates.

The loss dropped New Orleans to 8-25 on the season while a surprising Phoenix outfit moved to 18-13. That won't prevent Pelicans fans from basking in Alvarado's feistiness—they have to celebrate something this season.

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

SIGN UP NOW. SI NBA Newsletter. Get SI's FREE NBA Newsletter. dark

feed

Published
Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

Home/NBA