Serge Ibaka was suspended for one game two seasons ago after throwing punches at Robin Lopez. Last season he was suspended for a game for throwing punches at James Johnson.
Ibaka is going to miss more than one game for this — there’s a pattern and the league is going to come down hard.
With one second to go in the third quarter Monday night, the Raptors tried a length of the court pass to Ibaka, who was being defended by Cleveland’s Marquese Chriss. It appears Ibaka hooks Chriss, Ibaka goes to the ground, Chris appears to have said something, and Ibaka gets up and goes hard at Chriss, grabbing him by the neck and throwing punches.
Serge Ibaka and Marquese Chriss throwing haymakers 😳 https://t.co/cYJaATz6QK
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) March 12, 2019
Ibaka and Chriss were both ejected.
Ibaka was mad at the chirping from Chriss. Will not say anything further.
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) March 12, 2019
Watch the replay and it appears Chriss was just defending himself, the league should go light on him.
After this incident, the Raptors came apart as a team and lost 126-101. To add injury to insult, Kyle Lowry turned his ankle late in the game.