The 2023 NBA playoffs, which have already been extremely dramatic to date, have added one other potential seed of intrigue.
The NBA will examine Hawks star guard Dejounte Murray after he appeared to make contact with an official as time expired in Atlanta’s 129-121 loss to the Celtics in Sport 4 of their first-round playoff collection, based on ESPN.
A video shared to Twitter reveals a visibly heated Murray seem to lean in to official Gediminas Petraitis as he was strolling off the courtroom and say one thing to him, probably shoving him within the course of.
The NBA will try to find out if the contact was intentional.
Any participant who makes “intentional bodily contact” with a referee will routinely be suspended for one sport, per the NBA rulebook.
Murray, 26, is now susceptible to lacking Sport 5 of the playoff collection.
Atlanta is already down 3-1 within the collection to the No. 2 seed within the East.
The Celtics suffered from this rule earlier within the season, when ahead Grant Williams was suspended one sport for making contact with an official throughout a sport towards the Chicago Bulls.
Now, their playoff opponent might be the one struggling a self-inflicted wound.
It’s the most recent controversy to hit the 2023 NBA playoffs.
Warriors agitator Draymond Inexperienced was ejected from Sport 2 and suspended for Sport 3 of the crew’s collection towards the Kings after he stomped on middle Domantas Sabonis when the 2 bought snarled underneath the rim.
Within the 76ers vs. Nets collection, Joel Embiid was assessed a flagrant 1 for kicking Nets middle Nic Claxton within the groin – although he was neither ejected nor suspended.
Nonetheless, later in that sport, 76ers guard James Harden was ejected for showing to elbow Royce O’Neale within the intestine as he drove to the basket.
Philadelphia nonetheless gained that Sport 3, and accomplished a sweep of Brooklyn on Saturday with out Embiid, who’s now out with a knee harm.
