Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic's 53-point masterpiece Sunday night was somewhat overshadowed ... the Nuggets' superstar had a heated exchange with a "fan," who turned out to be Suns' owner Mat Ishbia.

Ishbia was sitting along the baseline for Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals game between the Nuggets and Suns ... when things got testy in the second quarter.

Suns forward Josh Okogie was trying to gain possession of a loose ball when he flew into the area where Ishbia was sitting, prompting Mat to check on his player. The owner was holding the basketball.

Jokic sprinted over to Ishbia and tried to take it from his arms, but the Suns' owner wasn't giving it up, which clearly ticked Nikola off.

As Jokic tries to get the ball back from the 43-year-old billionaire, the two-time MVP nudges him with his left forearm, prompting an exaggerated flop from Ishbia, who fell backward in his seat.

Fortunately, officials quickly intervened and were able to separate everyone ... however, Nikola was slapped with a technical foul for "deliberately" making contact with Ishbia.

Ishbia reportedly told the Associated Press at halftime that he was more concerned with the outcome of the playoff game than the incident with Jokic.

"The fan put a hand on me first," Jokic told reporters after the game. "I thought the league is supposed to protect us. But maybe I'm wrong."

Meanwhile, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone supported his star player, saying he thought it was "crazy" Jokić got a technical foul for trying to get the ball from a fan, and added he doesn't "give a s***" the fan was the Suns' owner.

The NBA has yet to announce if they will discipline Jokić further with a fine or suspension, but with Game 5 on Tuesday in Denver and the series hanging in the balance, Nuggets fans are holding their collective breaths.

Jamal Murray needed both Nikola Jokic and a referee to keep him from going after a fan in the stands during Thursday night's game ... with the Denver Nuggets star losing his cool over disrespectful words being hurled his way.

The altercation was caught on video -- showing Murray on the court playing against the Pistons in Little Caesars Arena as multiple Pistons fans heckle him.

Murray heard the jabs loud and clear ... and once the whistle was blown to stop the play, the 6'4" guard began walking toward the guy with a few words of his own.

The referee immediately got in Murray's way and held him back ... while the guy in the crowd yelled, "you ain't gon' do s*** boy!!!"

Jokic -- who stands at 6'11" -- ran over to assist the ref ... and pulled Murray back to center court.

Arena security witnessed the exchange between Murray and the man ... and you can see in the video what seems to be police officers pointing at the guy in the stands.

As of now, it's unclear if the fan was removed from the arena or if he received any punishment.

BTW, the Pistons lost ... and currently have the worst record in the NBA. The Nuggets, however, are No. 4 in the league and lead the Western Conference.

Do better, people.

Bones Hyland has only been a Clipper for a minute, but the former Nuggets star can already bond with his new teammates over a horrific incident they experienced last month ... admitting "we thought it was over wit" after their plane was struck by lightning.

It all went down on Feb. 25 -- the Clippers were flying to Denver for a contest against Hyland's former team the following day ... when disaster suddenly struck.

The Clippers' team plane began to shake and rattle moments after departing from LAX ... and several players reported hearing a loud bang before the plane's engine went silent momentarily.

"Us players, we're trying to nap away," Eric Gordon told ESPN, calling it the second-worst flight he has experienced in his 15 NBA seasons. "Oh, everybody was up after that for sure."

The engine eventually came back on ... but multiple staffers aboard the aircraft echoed Gordon's sentiments -- saying it was one of the worst moments they've experienced on a flight, according to the outlet.

The Delta Air Lines plane transporting the Clippers landed safely in Colorado ... but the team noticed visible damage on the tail of the aircraft, indicating it had, indeed, been struck by lightning.

As if the lightning-strike scare wasn't horrifying enough ... just four days later, the team was walking the tarmac at LAX to board their charter flight to San Francisco when it started hailing.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue quipped, "Our luck was so bad, we even got struck by lightning."

All hell broke loose between JJ Redick and Kendrick Perkins on "First Take" Tuesday morning ... with the two former NBA players going at it over the league's tight MVP race.

Redick and Perk have been bickering over the topic for the past week ... with the Boston Celtics champ accusing MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic of stat-padding to win the award -- and implying white NBA reporters have a bias toward white players when it comes to voting.

Fast-forward to Tuesday, when Redick bashed Perk's notion race had anything to do with the MVP race ... saying, "What we just witnessed is the problem with this show, where we create narratives that do not exist in reality."

JJ continued ... "The implication, what you're implying, [is] that the white voters that vote on NBA are racist. That they favor white people. That is exactly what you stated. We all know what you implied the other day. We all know what you implied just now."

Perkins vehemently disagreed with Redick's criticism ... screaming at the former NBA star-turned-commentator ... saying, "I stated the facts and you not about to sit up here and act like it's something more than that."

In case you missed it, Perk explained his side last week ... saying, "When it comes down to guys winning MVP since 1990, it’s only three guys that won the MVP that wasn’t top 10 in scoring -- Steve Nash, Jokic, and Dirk Nowitzki. What do those guys have in common?"

Kendrick doubled down on his position after JJ's callout on Tuesday ... tweeting, "Last year I was a c***. This year I’m a racist. Well damn, which one is it? IT’S NEITHER. I call out facts and not afraid to address the elephant in the room."

Cops are now investigating Ja Morant after the NBA superstar was seen on video over the weekend brandishing a firearm ... TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Glendale Police Department in Colorado tells us they launched the probe into the matter shortly after Morant went on Instagram Live from what appeared to be a strip club with a gun in his hand.

According to the spokesperson, cops "have confirmed the incident took place at a bar in Glendale" -- adding, "We are investigating the matter."

No further details surrounding the probe were given.

As we reported, Morant filmed himself at the Colorado establishment late Friday night/early Saturday morning -- hours after the Grizzlies had lost to the Nuggets in Denver.

In the footage, the 23-year-old can be seen and heard rapping along to an NBA YoungBoy song ... all while flashing a gun.

Shortly after the video was posted, the Grizzlies announced Morant would be stepping away from the team for at least the next two games.

Morant, meanwhile, took responsibility for his actions and apologized to his team and his fans. In his statement, Ja also vowed to "take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."

Donovan Mitchell's days in Utah are over -- the NBA star has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a huge deal on Thursday.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted out the bombshell news just minutes ago -- the face of the Jazz franchise is officially on the move to northeast Ohio.

Mitchell -- who was drafted by the Nuggets out of Louisville -- spent all 5 of his seasons with the Jazz after being traded on draft night ... where he established himself as one of the game's best young stars.

The Cavs are sending Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji and three first-round picks to Utah ... and the rights to swap two other future picks in the deal.

The Knicks had been floated as a potential landing spot for Spida ... but their dreams were officially squashed after the Cavs -- who made the play-in tournament last year -- sealed the deal.

Utah appears to be in complete rebuild mode -- the team traded away Rudy Gobert, a 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, and now have shipped Donovan out of town as well.

Nikola Jokic will truly never forget winning the 2021-22 NBA MVP award ... because the Denver Nuggets surprised him with the trophy while he was out riding a horse in Serbia!!

The surreal moment was documented by the team on Wednesday ... showing Jokic was (seriously) out on a horse carriage in his home country when the NBA officially named him the league's most valuable player.

And, when Jokic returned from his jaunt ... he teared up at the sight of the trophy -- with Nuggets video revealing the 6-foot-11 center was very emotional outside of his horse stable.

In the clip, you can see Jokic wiped away tears and hugged all of his family and friends in attendance ... and even earned an "M-V-P" chant from some of them while he admired the trophy.

Jokic went on to do an interview with media members from inside the stables ... where a coughing dog actually interrupted one of his answers!!

Of course, Jokic is used to all the animal chaos ... he's owned horses for years and has talked repeatedly about how amazing the pets have been for him.

The MVP award, meanwhile, is the second one in as many years for the 27-year-old ... and, it was expected. After all, Jokic killed it this year, averaging 27.1 points per game, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists.

Lakers guard Wayne Ellington just got slapped with a $20,000 fine by the NBA ... after he threatened to put his "hands on" Facundo Campazzo following an incident between the two during a game over the weekend.

NBA exec Byron Spruell announced the fine on Wednesday afternoon ... reprimanding Ellington for his threatening tweet.

If you missed it, during the Lakers vs. Nuggets game on Sunday, Campazzo intentionally shoved Ellington in the back -- sending him crashing to the floor.

At the time, Campazzo was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game -- but Ellington clearly didn't think that penalty was enough ... 'cause he tweeted afterward he wanted some street justice.

"When I see you I’m putting my hands on you @facucampazzo," Ellington said.

In addition to fining Ellington for the tweet ... the NBA also said it's suspending Campazzo for one game without pay for the shove.

Ben Simmons' time in Philadelphia is up ... at least that's what Austin Rivers truly believes, telling TMZ Sports he doesn't see the 3-time All-Star suiting up for the 76ers ever again.

Of course, the Denver Nuggets guard's dad, Doc, has been trying to mend the relationship between Ben and the Sixers org. for months now ... but BS has yet to play a minute of hoops for Philly this season.

And when we asked Austin about the situation, he says he doesn't see Simmons playing for the Sixers ever again.

"No man, probably not. I don’t think so," Rivers answered. "If he hasn’t suited up by now, then I don’t think so."

Austin says his dad and the team have done everything in their power to retain the 25-year-old ... despite Simmons' desire to be traded.

"S***, they tried, bro," he said. "Look how long it’s been. I think they tried to keep him. He wants to go somewhere else obviously."

Rivers ultimately wishes BS well saying ... "I just want the young man to be happy. He’s talented. He’s a great player."

As we previously reported, Doc told us he'd love to have BS back with the Sixers. But so much has transpired since then ... and with neither side budging, it certainly feels like Austin's right.

Austin Rivers had two fans removed from their seats on Wednesday ... after he claims the "punks" and "clowns" would not stop heckling him about his family.

The Nuggets guard snapped in the fourth quarter of Denver's loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City, grabbing a ref after he made a 3-pointer and telling him to eject two fans from their seats immediately.

In video of the play, you can see Rivers was irate -- pointing out the fans who appeared to yell about his dad, Doc Rivers, in the middle of his shooting stroke.

After the game, Austin explained the situation ... saying every time he ran down the court, the two talked trash about Doc -- and even began mentioning his sister, Callie Rivers, who's married to Steph Curry's brother, Seth Curry.

"I don't mind it most nights," a clearly ticked-off Austin said. "But, it was constant. Every time down the floor, they were saying something about my dad. Somebody said something about my sister. That's when I was like, 'OK. I've had enough.'"

Austin continued, "You could say I suck, that's fair game. But, you talk about my family? Like, what are we doing here?"

"Imagine me showing up to where they work and I'm just talkin' s*** about their family the whole time while they're trying to work. I don't know. It's just weird, man. Bunch of punks."

Of course, this is far from the first time an NBA player has done the same this season ... both Tristan Thompson and LeBron James had fans ejected from games earlier this year for heckling, too.

Nikola Jokic is having an insane season, but Kenny "The Jet" Smith says the Nuggets superstar won't get his second-straight MVP if his team keeps losing ... telling TMZ Sports the award needs to go to one of the best players on the best teams.

Jokic is balling the hell out this season ... averaging 26 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and a player efficiency rating of a whopping 33.8.

The "Inside The NBA" analyst said despite the incredible numbers the 26-year-old is putting up, he can't call him the MVP of the league if his stats aren't resulting in W's for the Nuggets.

"Yeah, [his numbers are good], but they're not winning," Smith said. They're not winning."

"Best record in the league. Best players get the rewards," Smith added. "Same way with him last year. They were the best team. He got the award."

Of course, Kenny is referring to Jokic winning his first-ever MVP award last season ... leading Denver to a 47-25 record.

Smith said that guys like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul would be at the top of his MVP list ... 'cause their teams all have great winning records.

But, all hope isn't lost -- Smith said Jokic and the Nuggets haven't even hit their peak yet ... and they've still got time in the second half of the season to figure things out as a team.

He also offered some advice to Joker ... telling the Serbian big man that if he wanted to secure the MVP award, the key is staying healthy for his team and winning more games.

Ex-NBA coach George Karl says more than 100 hoops fans want to see him 6-feet under ... revealing he's been on the receiving end of death wishes for bashing Carmelo Anthony on Twitter.

Karl coached Melo on the Nuggets from 2005-2011 ... and while Denver made the playoffs for most of their time together, the two never really got along.

Of course, 70-year-old Karl hasn't held back when criticizing Melo in the past ... saying he was selfish and a liability on defense, which ruined the Nuggets' chances at an NBA title.

Now that Melo is hoping to help LeBron James and the Lakers win a championship in 2022, Karl has fired off some shots at the 37-year-old ... trolling Anthony's comments about losing sleep over his quest for a ring.

But, Karl wasn't all negative about the guy ... backpedaling a bit and saying, "I've said it before -- one of the great scorers the game has ever seen. He’s a HOFer and his Jersey should hang in Denver."

And then, Karl went right back to critique mode ... even referencing his battles with neck and throat cancer.

"He Wasn’t a team first player or good defender here in Denver," he added. "And it upset us when he asked for a trade especially after I was sick."

Karl faced a ton of backlash from Melo stans for his jabs ... and addressed the angry fans with yet another tweet Tuesday night.

"I think at least 100 people told me on here to die or rot in hell in the past 24 hours," Karl said. "Cmon folks. That’s not kind or cool."

"Lighten up and celebrate life!!"

When a user asked what he said, Karl didn't mince his words.

"That Melo was a ball hog and s****y defender in Denver."

Melo fans are known for being some of the most passionate backers out there ... so who knows if they'll take Karl's advice.

The famous "Suns In 4" guy is FINALLY opening up about his violent brawl with Nuggets fans ... claiming the whole thing went down because the Denver dudes poured beer on him.

Nick McKellar joined Barstool Sports' "The Dave Portnoy Show" this week and broke the whole fight down from start to finish ... explaining he was NEVER the aggressor in the situation.

McKellar claims he showed up to Ball Arena for Game 3 last Friday and made friends with nearly everybody around him right away.

But, he says when he started lightheartedly joking with two Nuggets fans toward the end of the game ... that's when things turned contentious.

"These guys are walking past me and obviously they didn't think it was funny," McKellar said. "Meanwhile the whole crowd that I made friends with, initially they were laughing, having a good time."

"I wasn't being annoying. So, these guys were like, 'You know what, I'm taking offense to this.'"

McKellar says the two Nuggets fans then got in his face, talked smack, flaunted money at him ... and then tugged on his jersey and poured beer on him.

That's when McKellar says the action picked up on video ... and the rest is history.

"Instincts of self-defense kick in," McKellar says.

McKellar told Portnoy he was escorted out of the arena by cops after throwing the haymakers, but says he was NOT arrested because witnesses told the officers he did nothing more than protect himself in the skirmish.

As for if Devin Booker ever got a hold of him, McKellar said he has been in contact with the Suns superstar -- and told Portnoy there could be a future collab between the two in the future.

The Phoenix Suns returned home to Arizona late Sunday night to ONE HELL OF A WELCOMING PARTY ... where fans were going crazy after the team's 4-game sweep of the Denver Nuggets!

Check out this crazy footage of Sun Nation showing out to greet stars like Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and more ... just losing their minds at the players trying to leave the airport.

The 6'11" Ayton opened up his sunroof and screamed back at the fans -- everyone was hyped! It was awesome!!!

When CP3's car drove up, the fans began the "MVP" chant!

The Suns swept Denver in 4 games -- impressing the NBA world considering they were playing against league MVP Nikola Jokic and stars like Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr.

The Suns are now headed to the NBA Western Conference Finals to face the winner of the L.A. Clippers vs. Utah Jazz series. The Jazz are currently leading 2-1.

Suns fans have been making almost as many headlines lately as the team -- especially after that fight in Denver where a man in a PHX jersey beat up two men in Utah jerseys and then screamed out, "Suns in 4."

Welp, he wasn't wrong.

Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray is officially on the mend after suffering a torn ACL earlier this month ... and he's showing off his badass scar from surgery!!

The 24-year-old baller went under the knife last week after going down with the injury against the Warriors on April 12 ... and he appears to be in great spirits as he kickstarts the recovery process.

Murray showed off some post-op pics on Tuesday ... captioning them with a positive note -- "Brand new."

Of course, the injury happened in the final minutes of Denver's loss to Golden State ... when Murray's leg buckled after he drove to the basket.

The scene was tough to watch -- even for the broadcasters, who were audibly emotional over the injury.

But, Murray will recover and get back to the court ... just with a new-look knee next time around.

Sports stars like Odell Beckham and Joe Burrow have showed off their ACL surgery scars in recent months ... and it's safe to say Murray's is the least gnarly, so that's a plus for the hooper!!

It's always bad to see any athlete go down, but it was especially tough to see Murray get hurt -- the guy has been tearing up the league over the past 2 years.

Denver Nuggets superstar Jamal Murray tore up his knee in such a scary fashion Monday night ... even the game's broadcasters were having trouble watching a replay of the injury.

"This is awful," one said ... while another added, "He's in a lot of pain. I don't even know if I want to watch this."

The gruesome play all went down in the final minute of the Nuggets' loss to the Warriors ... when Murray was driving to the basket at full speed.

You can see in clips of the play, as Murray planted his left leg to try to explode upward ... his knee just simply gave out on him.

The 24-year-old -- who had a breakout season last year and helped lead Denver to a Western Conference Finals appearance -- immediately crumpled to the hardwood in pain.

He let out several screams, pounded the floor ... and needed several trainers to help him get up.

A wheelchair was ultimately brought out for Murray ... but he refused to get in it -- and instead, hobbled off the floor and into the locker room.

The severity of Murray's injury was not yet known immediately after the game -- he'll undergo further testing Tuesday -- but it was clear to all involved it could be a devastating one for the Nuggets' star.

"Keep Jamal in your thoughts and prayers," Denver head coach Michael Malone said, "and hopefully we'll get some good news."

Added Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, "We hope he's not injured, that was a really scary fall and there was silence in the gym. Everybody is so concerned for him, so fingers crossed."

Steph Curry, who was just feet away from Murray when he suffered the scary fall, said he, too, was hoping Murray avoided catastrophic knee damage.

"My heart goes out to him," Curry said. "I hope that he gets the best news possible."

Murray had averaged 21.2 points per game this season ... and helped Denver to a 34-20 record. Most believed with a healthy Murray, the Nuggets had a great chance to win the Western Conference.