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The Suns and Pelicans met for a second straight night on Saturday, and after a tight Phoenix win on Friday, tensions were high for the rematch.
Those boiled over in the late third quarter when Mark Williams and Jose Alvarado got tangled up following a screen that Alvarado got whistled for a foul after pushing Williams. Williams said something to Alvarado who grabbed the Suns’ big man and the two started going at it, with Alvarado throwing punches and connecting with a right hook.
Alvarado and Williams were both ejected for their roles in the scrap, which was a far more legitimate fight than most tussles we see happen on an NBA court. The best part of it all was Jordan Poole’s face in the background when Alvarado landed the punch (0:35 mark of the above video).
Alvarado was still hot after getting pulled away and sprinted to the back, seemingly ready to continue things in the hallway by the locker rooms. He will likely be facing fairly stiff punishment from the NBA as the one to escalate things and connecting on a punch.
Williams was less aggressive in his role in the brouhaha and will await the NBA’s decision on whether he’ll get further discipline than the ejection.
The Suns went on to win, 123-114, after the fight to notch back-to-back wins in New Orleans and improve to 18-13 on the season, as they battle for a playoff spot in the West.
