It didn’t quite reach Pacers-Pistons status, but Tuesday night’s brawl between Indiana and Golden State will cost Roy Hibbert and David Lee a paycheck.
The two were suspended one game apiece without pay for their roles in the scuffle, which began when Hibbert and Lee started exchanging shoves in the lane with six minutes remaining in the Pacers’ 108-97 win. All 10 players on the court then joined in the fray, which spilled over into the crowd before referees restored order.
Indiana’s Lance Stephenson and Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were each fined $35,000 for “escalating the altercation,” during which the 6-foot-3 Curry was tossed to the ground twice by the 7-foot-2 Hibbert. The Pacers center, who was the only player ejected after the brawl, apologized Wednesday, saying his mother was not pleased with his actions.
“My mom was a little upset,” Hibbert told the Indianapolis Star. “She said I should have walked away. It’s unfortunate it happened. I watched the video and I saw there was a little kid that ran up out of his seat when all that happened. I apologize to the fans that were sitting courtside. We’re a team that loves the fans and we don’t want to scare them away.”
Hibbert will serve his suspension Thursday against the Clippers, while Lee will sit out Wednesday night’s game against the Knicks.
