The Denver Nuggets have breathed a collective sigh of relief upon learning that veteran wing Will Barton will not be facing a suspension for the final game of their Western Conference Semifinals matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.
In Game 6 on Thursday, Barton was involved in an altercation with Blazers guard Seth Curry, which could have easily turned ugly if cooler heads had not prevailed. Many believed that Barton might be handed a suspension for his part in the heated exchange, but as it turns out, the league are letting him off the hook.
Denver swingman Will Barton will not face a suspension or a fine for his altercation on Thursday with Portland guard Seth Curry, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 11, 2019
This series has been physical throughout, and Game 6 was no exception. Tempers finally boiled over and at one point, Barton put his hands on Curry's face following a shoving match. Fortunately, game officials and other players were able to intervene before the incident could escalate into violence.
Barton was having a bad night, as the 28-year-old was only able to log seven points (on 3-of-8 shooting), along with one three-pointer, four rebounds, and a couple of assists on the evening. Perhaps this contributed to his unsavory mood, which he eventually took out on Curry.
Barton has had an on and off series against the Blazers, with the 6-foot-6 small forward currently averaging 10.5 points (on 34.9 percent shooting), 1.7 three-pointers, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.7 blocks in the first six games of the series. He went on a 22-point outburst in Game 3, but has also had three single-digit scoring outings.
Nevertheless, Barton is still a crucial piece in Denver's rotation and this recent development will definitely work in the favor of the Nuggets as they hope to be in full strength for the final and deciding game of this tightly-contested series.
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