The NBA acted swiftly in doling out punishment to Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell and Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks after the two got into an on-court altercation Thursday.
The league issued a one-game suspension to Brooks on Friday while Mitchell won’t miss any games, but got hit with a $20,000 fine.
The incident came in the third quarter of Cleveland’s 128-113 win when Brooks hit the floor after missing a layup attempt. As Brooks rolled over to get up, he swung his arm into Mitchell’s groin area. Mitchell didn’t take too kindly to the act as he whipped the ball at Brooks in response.
The two then got into a shoving match and were separated by coaches and players. Both were immediately ejected from the contest.
Brooks has developed into a well-known agitator across the league and he certainly got under the skin of Mitchell, who let his feelings be known about Brooks’ behavior following the contest.
“That’s just who he is,” Mitchell told reporters, per video from SBNation’s Evan Dammarell. “We’ve seen it a bunch in this league with him. And you know I’ve had our personal battles for years. Quite frankly, I’ve been busting his ass for years — playoffs, regular season. … There’s no place for that in the game and you gotta protect yourself at the end of the day.”
Mitchell added: “When you can’t guard somebody, can’t do something to somebody, you gotta resort to that and that’s what he’s done to a lot of players. … I’m glad my guys held it down tonight and had my back.”
Brooks will sit out Memphis’ matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
