Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs and large man Mo Bamba had been ejected from Friday’s highway win over the Minnesota Timberwolves for his or her roles within the struggle that passed off between the groups through the third quarter.
Late within the third, Bamba — who wasn’t within the sport on the time and was sitting on the Magic’s bench — and Austin Rivers threw punches at one another close to the Magic’s bench.
Bamba declined to discuss the on-court altercation when requested by the Orlando Sentinel, saying “I have nothing to say.”
Rivers addressed the altercation postgame.
“I just heard language behind the bench, or on their bench, but it was just about one dude,” Rivers stated. “He had stated one thing the play earlier than as effectively. I’m probably not gonna get into what he stated, I’m not gonna snitch on the dude or no matter, however I simply didn’t like the way in which he was speaking to me.
“For no reason, too, I don’t even know that dude, I don’t know anything about him. Obviously, I just know he’s a player for the Magic. And he proceeded to talk, so that next possession, when I went down there, I just said, pretty much, ‘Just keep it respectful, bro.’”
The scuffle carried onto the court docket, with Suggs grabbing Rivers by the neck and pushing him on the bottom to interrupt up the struggle.
“That’s what bothered me the most, that’s the only thing that’s kind [of] hurting right now is somebody came and grabbed me by my neck,” Suggs stated. “That’s an enormous no, no. And then I used to be on the bottom for no matter time. I don’t know, it was chaos. I don’t actually have an excessive amount of to say.
Multiple gamers and Magic coaches obtained concerned to interrupt up the altercation.
Bamba, Suggs, Rivers, Taurean Prince and Jaden McDaniels had been the 5 gamers ejected because of the scuffle.
A number of moments earlier than the struggle, Rivers missed a 3-pointer in entrance of the Magic’s bench. Bamba and Markelle Fultz had been seen reacting to the miss.
“Nothing,” stated Fultz, who was sitting subsequent to Bamba earlier than the altercation. “Just really, [Rivers] shot a shot in the corner. Talked normal trash, nothing disrespectful or crazy. And [Rivers] obviously took it very [sensitively]. Next thing you know, he came back and I see him on the sideline. That’s really it. The rest was what it was. We just kept everybody on the bench and let the security do their job.”
Fultz was seen making a face after Bamba apparently stated one thing to Rivers, however didn’t touch upon what Bamba stated.
Kevon Harris tweeted: “All [Bamba] said was “This ain’t high school no mo” when [Rivers] missed the three.”
“People talking trash when somebody shoots on the side,” Fultz stated. “We were just having fun, talking [trash]. Same stuff they do on their side. I don’t know if it was something that [Rivers] has been dealing with or something, but he got extremely mad and that’s what he chose to do to retaliate. I don’t think Mo did anything crazy or said anything crazy. It [was] normal trash talk on the bench, having fun and that’s what it turned into.”
Bamba caught his tongue out at Rivers after making his feedback.
“[Rivers] was just looking towards the bench and that’s when you probably [saw] Mo stick his tongue out,” Fultz stated. “He looked back at the bench, Mo stuck his tongue out and that’s why I had the look too. Like ‘ooh’ because I could see the anger [on] Austin’s face. That was pretty much it. Me personally, I did not expect that reaction coming back down [the] court.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or comply with him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com