Zach Collins of the San Antonio Spurs came out Friday night, and the fifth-year pro was largely ignored.
Michael Porter Jr. The Denver Nuggets forward went into Collins in the third quarter of the Spurs’ 128-120 win, and Porter’s reaction caused an uproar.
Michael Porter Jr. Denver Nuggets forward goes for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Porter glared at Collins after the hit, and the Spurs forward charged at Porter Jr. The Denver star grabbed Collins by the throat during the confrontation.
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The two players became separated and were eventually ejected from the game.
“I don’t want to say the stakes were high, but I feel like everyone wanted to win, and everyone was on the same page,” Spurs center Sandro Mamukelashvili said. “Once you’re in that moment, and you’re up, you don’t want to lose that game, you do everything to win.”
After the game, Collins said he didn’t like how Porter Jr. talked to him after the dunk.
“Yeah I felt it in real time,” Collins told reporters after the game when asked if he felt Porter Jr. grab his neck.
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“You see how I pushed it off. I was ready,” Collins continued. “I pushed the choke away. I was ready.”
San Antonio Spurs’ Zach Collins, right, is restrained by Spurs assistant coach Matt Nielsen after a courtside scuffle during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Friday, March 10, 2023, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abbot)
For the top-ranked Nuggets, Friday night’s loss was the fourth time Denver has lost back-to-back games this season.
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Despite center Nikola Jokic’s 26th triple-double of the year, Denver lost to a Spurs team that had lost 18 of its previous 20 contests.
San Antonio Spurs’ Zach Collins, right, is restrained by Spurs assistant coach Matt Nielsen after a courtside scuffle during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Friday, March 10, 2023, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abbot)
San Antonio outshot Denver 50-33, outscoring the Nuggets 68-54.
“They were living in our paint, they were pushing us away and on top of that, we missed some really good looks,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said. “It was hard to try to climb back, although we brought a good attitude and a good effort. We just couldn’t get out of the hole we created ourselves.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Joe Morgan is a sports reporter for Fox News.