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There was a bit of drama late in the Phoenix Suns' Game 1 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. As Deandre Ayton was running up the floor in the fourth quarter, Pelicans rookie Herb Jones awkwardly crossed paths with Ayton and hit him in the jaw with his shoulder.
Here's the play:
TNT's Reggie Miller seemed to think Jones intentionally hit Ayton, which left the Suns center momentarily dazed. He wound up being okay and played more after that, but it was looking scary there for a few moments.
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Ayton addressed the incident after the game. To his credit, he didn't think Jones hit him intentionally and chalked it up to the physicality of the playoffs:
"I'm fine, that's how they want to start the series then, so be it. It's a physical game. It's the playoffs."
Deandre Ayton about shoulder hit from #Pelicans rookie Herbert Jones to his jaw in 4th quarter of #Suns Game 1 win.
"It didn't look like he did it intentional." pic.twitter.com/E6RekFdZ5Y
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 18, 2022
The play was certainly reckless on Jones' part and perhaps even a bit dirty, though it didn't look like he was actually trying to hurt Ayton in any way. The Pelicans rookie even immediately went over to the Suns center to check on him after the hit. That's a good sign that it wasn't intentional, even if it was totally unnecessary.
Ayton played a key role in the 110-99 Game 1 victory, going for 21 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Of course, it was Chris Paul who stole the show, scoring 19 of his 30 points in a brilliant crunch-time performance. The Point God also had 10 assists, seven rebounds and three steals in the game.
The Suns will look to take a 2-0 lead with a win over the Pelicans on Tuesday. It doesn't seem as if there will be any bad blood between Ayton and Jones, but it's at least something to watch out for.
