NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams and New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado were ejected after getting into a fight in the third quarter Saturday night.
The 7-foot-1 Williams and 6-foot Alvarado exchanged punches following a foul call on Alvarado. Phoenix won 123-114 for a two-game sweep of a back-to-back set between the teams in New Orleans.
Alvarado, an aggressive defender, was trying to fight through a ball screen set by Williams to keep pressure on Suns sharpshooter Collin Gillespie, who had made his first five 3-point attempts of the game.
Alvarado pushed Williams out of the way while playing defense and was called for a foul. Williams then shoved Alvarado in the back. Alvarado turned toward Williams and the two exchanged words before grabbing each other and throwing punches. Both players landed right hands before being separated and then ejected.
No other players were involved in the fracas.
Phoenix coach Jordan Ott said he had not yet reviewed the video, but he attributed the dustup to competitiveness and fatigue.
“I saw it start, and then all of a sudden everyone jumped in,” Ott said. “Obviously, it happens. It just feels like the lack of sleep the second night of a back-to-back, something always tends to happen. Last night, there were a lot of free throws; tonight there wasn’t as much. They let us play tonight, which is something we enjoy. They got tangled up, and obviously they both got thrown out.”
Pelicans coach James Borrego also said he had not been able to see video of the fight. Neither player was available to speak with reporters after the game.
“Yesterday was a dog fight, and today was a dog fight,” Suns forward Royce O’Neale said. “It took everybody to get this win. Everybody came in and contributed and fought hard.”
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