NEW ORLEANS — A fourth-quarter altercation between New Orleans Pelicans and the Miami heat Friday night, four players were selected, including the Heat star Jimmy Butlerbeing ejected from the game.
The Miami Butler and Thomas Bryant were both ejected, along with the Pelicans guards Jose Alvarado And Naji Marshall.
Things are getting heated between the Heat and the Pelicans…
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– The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) February 24, 2024
The altercation started with the Heat Kevin Love foul on the Pelicans star Zion Williamson on a layup attempt that led to Williamson crashing to the floor.
The two teams came together after Williamson hit the ground and began going back and forth verbally. Then Marshall and Butler became entangled and had to be separated after trying to chase each other several times. Marshall appeared to choke Butler at one point before the players were separated.
Naji Marshall choked Jimmy ???? pic.twitter.com/Bo3NCItnpF
– Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) February 24, 2024
While the two teams were separated, Bryant and Alvarado appeared to get into a physical altercation in front of the scorers’ table that once again inflamed both teams. Both Alvarado and Bryant were on the bench during the first altercation.
NBA Referee Curtis Blair said Love was only given a common foul because his actions “did not meet the criteria for a flagrant foul 1 – there was no windup, impact or follow-up “.
Williamson said after the match that he was “not tripping about K Love. In fact, he protected me when I fell.
Despite losing Butler, their leading scorer, in the matchup, the Heat came away with a 106-95 victory in their first game after the All-Star break. Both teams also lost crucial contributors during the match due to injuries.
“We’ll beat (New Orleans) next time, too,” Butler said after the game. “When we have them on our field, it will be a different game. I hope they are healthy. It will be the same result.
Pelican Guard CJ McCollum injured his left ankle in the first half and sat out the entire second half after scoring two points on 1-of-7 shooting. Heat guard Tyler Herro appeared to injure his left knee late in the fourth quarter before limping to the locker room and sitting out the final minutes of the game.
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(Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
