Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic wasn’t up for any nonsense after a Trail Blazers’ 129-98 loss to Indiana Sunday, the Blazers’ fourth loss in a row.
Nurkic, who is sidelined with plantar fasciitis, got into a confrontation with a Pacers fan immediately after the game and is seen on video grabbing that fan’s phone and chucking it into the stands.
Jusuf Nurkic was NOT happy with what this fan said/did, got in his face, and tossed his phone 😳pic.twitter.com/yboKUzVcL1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 21, 2022
It’s not clear what Portland’s big man was upset about.
Most of the short conversation between Nurkic and the fan is inaudible, except the fan asking, “why’d you throw my phone,” and other fans nearby can be heard laughing.
Neither Nurkic nor Portland commented on the incident.
There has been an increase in bad fan behavior and ejections since the NBA opened arenas back up after initially keeping fans out due to COVID-19.
The Hawks’ Trae Young was spat on during a playoff game against the Knicks last April, and the trend has continued this season.
Two Indiana fans were ejected earlier after making supposed inappropriate comments to LeBron James during a game.
A fan at Wells Fargo Center was ejected for calling Carmelo Anthony “boy,” and Russell Westbrook has complained about his and his family’s treatment by fans as the Lakers continue to lose.
The Blazers are 26-44 and four games behind the Lakers and New Orleans for a Play-In spot.
Nurkic was averaging 21.5 points, 14 rebounds, and 4.3 assists before being sidelined, and the Blazers have gone 1-10 in his absence.