There was a sense of tension in the air inside the Kaseya Center on Saturday night as the Memphis Grizzlies took on the Miami Heat. And no, it wasn’t because it was a close game. On the contrary, it was due to a late-game scuffle that spilled into the stands after a hard off-ball shove on Memphis’ point guard Scotty Pippen Jr.

Video evidence shows Pippen Jr. charging at Heat forward Myron Gardner after the latter knocked him down from what seemed to be an off-ball screen. Following this, the confrontation escalated quickly, with both players pulling each other down to the floor near the courtside seats before ultimately being separated by coaches and officials.

Both Scotty Pippen Jr. and Gardner were ejected from the contest after the altercation, as the Miami Heat went on to secure a comfortable 136-120 win. However, that might not be the only punishment they receive for the incident, which the Grizzlies star describes as a cheap shot.

“I thought it was kind of a cheap shot,” Pippen Jr. told reporters after the game. “He kind of hit me when I didn’t see him. I thought it was a soft move. I just thought he needed a hug on the other end.”

Well, the 25-year-old guard seemingly wanted to reply to violence with love. But that’s not how the league might view it. Since both players were ejected after the fight, the NBA will review the incident under its rules governing the on-court fights and bench involvement. This means, a fine not over than $50,000 along with suspension for a game might await the guard.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

The league routinely assesses fines or suspensions when contact is escalated beyond routine physical play. Especially when an altercation moves to the stands, which was the case on Saturday night. So, there’s a high chance that the NBA can announce its additional punishments following its review of the video and official reports. But Scotty Pippen Jr. doesn’t think any further investigation on the matter is needed.

Scotty Pippen Jr. believes he doesn’t deserve any punishment

There’s no doubt that things got quite heated during the Memphis Grizzlies-Miami Heat matchup on Saturday night. Both Scotty Pippen Jr. and Myron Gardner were engaged in a full-scale brawl. This came after Gardner seemingly provoked the Grizzlies star with a surprise hit, which the officials seemed to have missed. Despite that, Pippen believes that ejection from the game seems like an appropriate punishment.

“I don’t think any punches were thrown,” he said postgame. “It was, like I said, a hug. I don’t think it was too crazy. Got ejected, I think it should be left at that. It was a physical play, went and shot the three, got hit with a cheap shot, and I came down, and I wanted to talk to him. I guess (officials) didn’t see what happened, so I put it in my own hands.”

While the 25-year-old might not view it as “too crazy,” it’s safe to say that his participation in the next game will depend on the league’s decision. Nonetheless, this isn’t the first time the Memphis star has gotten into trouble with the NBA. Scotty has been fined four times previously in his three-year pro career thus far.

Each of those fines, worth around $2,000, was for technical fouls that he committed. Meanwhile, the other culprit, Myron Gardner, who was just playing his 27th game in the league, could be opening his fines account following this ugly tussle. Now, it will be interesting to see how the league views the altercation. Most importantly, what the punishment could be for these two young stars, as we eagerly await an official confirmation.