Jose Alvarado and Mark Williams threw punches in a very heated altercation on the court Saturday night in New Orleans.
Alvarado and Williams got into it late in the third quarter of the Phoenix Suns’ 123-114 win over the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center after Alvarado tried to get around a screen Williams set on him at the 3-point line. Alvarado shoved Williams — who is a good 13 inches taller than him — with both hands to try and get through it, but he was called for a foul.
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Alvarado started to complain to the official, but he suddenly turned to then confront Williams. Almost instantly, things escalated to a fistfight. Several punches were thrown by both players, and Alvarado looked like he hit Williams directly in the face before the two were eventually separated.
Both players were ejected from the game. The NBA is sure to hand down further discipline in the coming days.
Williams had 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench when he was ejected. The 24-year-old, who is in his first season with the Suns, entered the game averaging 13.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Alvarado had seven points and three assists for the Pelicans. He’s in his fifth season with New Orleans, and just signed a two-year, $9 million extension with the team that kicked in before this season.
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Though the Pelicans got within a possession late, the Suns led for the entire second half and held on to grab the nine-point win.
Things got chippy again after the final buzzer sounded. Royce O’Neal appeared to confront Zion Williamson near half-court, though that fizzled out quickly.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 20 points in the win, which pushed them to 18-13 on the season. They’ve won four of their last five now, including back-to-back wins over the Pelicans in New Orleans. Dillon Brooks added 18 points, and Collin Gillespie finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 24 points after he went 6-of-9 from behind the arc. Williamson added 22 points off the bench, and Derik Queen finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds. New Orleans has lost three straight and sits at 8-25 on the year.