Three players were ejected for fighting between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks on Friday night – and Kyrie Irving says it’s exactly what the NBA needs.
Amid the NBA’s well-known struggle to increase viewership, Mavericks guard Irving joked that a few more fights might encourage people to tune in.
Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic and Dallas forwards Naji Marshall and PJ Washington were ejected when fists were thrown between players during the Mavericks’ 98-89 victory over the Suns.
“Maybe that’s just the way we end 2024, with someone really swinging in the NBA,” Irving joked. ‘Maybe that will help our ratings.
‘I was a bit confused, it happened so quickly. At times like this I feel like people are protecting themselves. You should raise your hands and at least wave them back.
‘I will deal with their fines and throw that stuff under the carpet, pardon my language. It’s part of basketball sometimes.”
Three players were ejected for fighting when the Suns played the Mavericks on Friday night
Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic and Dallas forwards Naji Marshall and PJ Washington left the game
Nurkic was called for an offensive foul while being guarded by Daniel Gafford with 9:02 left in the third quarter before the altercation quickly escalated.
Nurkic confronted Marshall before waving open hands at his head, with Marshall responding with a punch.
Washington quickly pushed Nurkic to the ground before the teams were separated.
“Just protecting each other, that’s what that was,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.
‘Emotions can run high, so our boys protect each other. We talk about it and it was on display tonight.”
The referees reviewed the play before deciding that all three players would be sent off.
But Suns coach Mike Budenholzer disagreed with Irving.
“I don’t think this level of altercation is good for our team, it’s not good for anyone individually, it’s not good for our league,” he said. “I don’t know all the details of how it got to this point.”
Kyrie Irving joked after the game that more fights would improve the NBA’s TV ratings
There is concern about a shift in the NBA ratings, summarized in the Christmas Day ratings.
Despite LeBron James defiantly claiming that Christmas belongs in the NBA, the NFL games performed much better this week, partly because they were made available on Netflix.
The NFL and Nielsen said 65 million U.S. viewers watched at least one minute of one of two NFL games on Christmas Day.
The five-game NBA series averaged approximately 5.25 million viewers per game on ABC, ESPN and its platforms, according to the league and Nielsen.
Although the NBA had the sports calendar to itself on December 25 for years, the NFL has made Christmas one of the most important events during the regular season.