Clippers teammates Mason Plumlee, Bones Hyland get into brief fight in final game vs. Suns
Easter Sunday turned out to be a very contentious one across the league.
Los Angeles Clippers teammates Mason Plumlee and Bones Hyland got into a brief fight on the bench during their matchup with the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon.
It’s unclear what sparked the altercation, but the two started talking at each other before Hyland suddenly shoved Plumlee. The two had to be separated by teammates, and eventually sat on opposite ends of the bench during the break before the start of the final period at the Footprint Center.
Mason Plumlee and Bones Hyland getting into it now pic.twitter.com/GQZFQ53CAS
— Cage (@ridiculouscage) April 9, 2023
The incident in Phoenix came just after a similar one in Minneapolis. Just before halftime of the Timberwolves’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Rudy Gobert punched teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout. The two had to be separated, and they were reportedly heard screaming at each other in the locker room during halftime before the team sent Gobert home for the day.
Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels punched a wall in the tunnel at halftime, too, and immediately grabbed his hand in pain. He was then ruled out of the rest of the game with a hand injury.
Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson had to be separated after a heated altercation in the Timberwolves' huddle 😳pic.twitter.com/LXqgXiozpo
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 9, 2023
Jaden McDaniels punched a wall so hard he put himself out of the game pic.twitter.com/QJQFoMI1i2
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) April 9, 2023
The incident in Arizona came at the start of the fourth quarter while the Suns held a four-point lead. The Clippers rallied after that and beat the Suns 119-114 to close out the regular season. The Clippers out-scored Phoneix 37-28 in the fourth quarter. Norman Powell led the way with 29 points off the bench, and both Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook added 25 points each.
Hyland dropped 11 points after shooting 5-of-11 from the field. Plumlee finished with nine points and four rebounds.
The win officially clinched the 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs for the Clippers, and set up a first-round series with the Suns next week.