Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez and Toronto Raptors center Serge Ibaka have both been suspended for one game by the NBA for their roles in a fracas during Tuesday night’s game, the NBA announced Wednesday afternoon.
After a brief shoving match, both Ibaka and Lopez threw punches at one another, but neither connected before teammates and coaches were able to separate the two combatants.
The suspension means that Lopez will miss Chicago’s game on Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons, a team that they’re trying to overtake in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The dispute happened after a made basket in the second half of Tuesday’s game, as Lopez and Ibaka got tangled up under the backboard. The two players began shoving one another, and as teammates began to intervene both players threw wild punches. Both players were ejected after the incident.
The Bulls, who had a 15-point lead in the game, ultimately went on to lose 122-120 in overtime, dealing another blow to their slowly dimming playoff hopes.
