Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets has avoided a suspension for Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinal after picking up a technical foul for elbowing Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia after the ball went out of bounds in Game 4, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Although he did avoid a suspension, the NBA will fine Nikola Jokic $25,000, according to Wojnarowski.
Game 5 of the second-round NBA Playoffs series is coming up on Tuesday, and it would have been tough for the Nuggets to play without their best player in Jokic in a pivotal game of the series. The series is even at two wins apiece, with the Nuggets winning the first two games at home, and the Suns responding with home wins in games three and four.
On Monday morning, Ishbia wrote on Twitter that he did not want Jokic suspended. He got that wish, and NBA fans will be able to see both the Nuggets and the Suns at full strength.
This series is shaping up to be one of the most tightly contested of the NBA Playoffs. And both teams seem very capable of winning the NBA Finals should they get there. The winner of this series will take on either the Golden State Warriors or the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. And it would be reasonable to assume that both the Nuggets and the Suns would enter that series as favorites. It will be intriguing to see how the rest of the series plays out.
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