Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert got into a tussle with Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner during the Jazz's 111-100 loss yesterday. Gobert and Turner were ejected along with Utah's Donovan Mitchell, who chirped at the Indiana bench after the scuffle was broken up.

After the game, Gobert told reporters that fights between NBA players are mostly for the cameras and that people who act like they're going to fight should stop doing so.

 

In the same answer, Gobert said that his boxing coach was in attendance, alleging that he tries to keep his calm like he is taught. He didn't totally lose his cool, though his flare-up with Turner suggests he was looking to defend himself. Turner said that the fight was instigated by Gobert pulling on his shorts after getting his shot blocked.

Lonzo Ball summed up Gobert's sentiments in a 2017 incident when he was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. After he was seen walking away from a fight between the Lakers and Phoenix Suns, Ball said after the game that he avoided the fight because he didn't want to receive a technical foul.

Gobert's message about NBA fights typically holds true. Players throwing real punches at one another are rare, and landing them is even rarer. Yesterday's altercation was simply a heated moment that resulted in some arm grabbing and shoving, which is nothing new.