Fans of the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat got more than they bargained for in what was supposed to be just a game featuring two of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Instead, they nearly got a heavyweight showdown between power forwards Serge Ibaka and James Johnson.
The two had essentially traded elbows during the third quarter of the Heat's nailbiter over the Raptors on Tuesday night. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA has since suspended both players for one game:
Toronto's Serge Ibaka and Miami’s James Johnson will be each suspended one game for exchanging punches in Tuesday night’s game, the NBA says.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 10, 2018
It was an intense matchup by every definition considering the nature of the game at that point. It seems Ibaka had taken exception to Johnson knocking his arm away and retaliated with a strike of his own. Needless to say, it was not long before the Raptors big man had realized what he had gotten himself into. Both players were subsequently ejected from the game.
Minor scuffles are extremely common throughout the league. However, it is not every day they involve a second-degree black belt in karate like Johnson. That said, Ibaka made the wise decision in taking no further part in the scuffle than he already had. Aside from his professional basketball career, Johnson has reportedly come out victorious in over 25 MMA and kickboxing matches as well.
However, the tension between these two teams would not stop there. Following the game-winner by Heat guard Wayne Ellington, point guard Goran Dragic and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan got into a little scuffle of their own. Both players have reportedly since been fined for the incident.
Follow Us
Subscribe