Russell Westbrook hasn’t made the first round of the playoffs easy on himself, and Tuesday brought another self-inflicted punishment.
The NBA fined the reigning MVP and Oklahoma City star $10,000 for his role in a fourth-quarter altercation with Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert in Game 4 on Monday night. He was also assessed a postgame technical foul.
Earlier in the day, when the NBA acknowledged it was reviewing the play, there was concern that Westbrook could possibly face suspension: Subbed-out players who leave the immediate bench area when fights arise on the floor are subject to immediate suspension, and it was unclear whether Westbrook — who was standing near the scorer’s table when Gobert and OKC guard Raymond Felton got into a spat — had subbed in.
That exact rule famously cost the Phoenix Suns in the 2007 Western Conference Semifinals with the San Antonio Spurs when Amare Stoudamire and Boris stepped away from the bench and were suspended for a game.
The league eventually ruled that Westbrook had checked into the game, but had erred by swatting Gobert in the conflict. It was Westbrook’s first technical foul of the playoffs.
The Jazz have a 3-1 series lead over the Thunder and can close out the series Wednesday night for Game 5 in Chesapeake Energy Arena.
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