Nikola Jokic, Suns team owner Mat Ishbia have exchange in first half

Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the first half of Game 4 Sunday as he had in incident with Suns team owner Mat Ishbia.

Phoenix won the game, 129-124, before a sellout crowd of 17,071 at Footprint Center to even the series at 2-2 going into Tuesday’s Game 5 in Denver

“We got a point out of it,” Suns All-Star Devin Booker said with a smile about Ishbia. “He did his job.”

Referee Tony Brothers broke down the incident in a pool report postgame interview that Jokic took the ball from Ishbia and then pushed down Ishbia, who didn’t have the ball at the time Jokic pushed him down.

“The ball went over into the corner there and one of the fans was holding the ball,” said Brothers talking about Ishbia as one of the fans. “Jokic came to get the ball, grabbed it away from the fan, then after that he deliberately gave him a shove and pushed him down, so he was issued an unsportsmanlike technical foul.”

It appeared Jokic was trying to retrieve the ball to inbound it. After pulling the ball out of Ishbia’s hands, Jokic extended his arm and made contact with Ishbia, causing the Suns’ owner to fall back into his seat.

A different fan was removed from the area after the incident, which happened with 2:36 left in the second quarter in the corner where Ishbia and Isiah Thomas were sitting.

Suns officials told The Republic “the attendee was relocated to diffuse the situation.”

Ishbia stood up while Jokic ripped the ball out of his hands and fell backwards when Jokic extended his elbow. The ball went into the air to a fan, who tossed the ball at Jokic, but Suns wing Josh Okogie intercepted the pass.

Play was stopped, the play was reviewed and Jokic was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Okogie went into the crowd…