Thunder’s Raymond Felton, Dennis Schroder suspended as NBA reacts to brawl
FILE – Raymond Felton #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks to the scoreboard in the second half during Game Six of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on April 27, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images/AFP
Oklahoma City Thunder guards Raymond Felton and Dennis Schroder were suspended one game each and three more players were fined Wednesday by the NBA over the brawl that erupted during a Thunder-Chicago Bulls game on Monday.
Felton and Schroder were suspended for leaving the bench area during the altercation.
Bulls center Robin Lopez was fined $25,000 for “escalating the altercation” and Thunder forward Jerami Grant was fined $20,000 for the same thing.
Bulls guard Kris Dunn was fined $15,000 for “instigating the altercation” with a shove of Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.
The incident unfolded late in the third quarter of Oklahoma City’s 121-96 victory over Chicago.
Westbrook drew a foul from Dunn, shoves were exchanged and soon both teams were scuffling near the Thunder bench.
No players were ejected, but four players received technical fouls.
The fracas spilled into the stands as Grant and Lopez got entangled and fell onto some fans.
At one point, Bulls coach Jim Boylen got an arm around the shoulders of Grant and pulled him away.
Boylen, who took over head coaching duties this month after the struggling Bulls sacked Fred Hoiberg, was unrepentant in the immediate aftermath.
“I liked the look in our guys’ eyes when that happened,” he said. “It bonded them a little bit.”
Dunn, deemed the instigator, said after the game that he wasn’t even sure what happened.
“Things just got out of hand,” he said.
