Denver Nuggets' Facundo Campazzo suspended for first game of playoffs after shoving incident
DENVER -- The NBA has suspended Denver Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against theGolden State Warriorsfor a shoving incident in the regular-season finale.
Campazzo forcefully pushed down Los Angeles Lakers guard Wayne Ellington in the second quarter Sunday. Campazzo was assessed a flagrant foul 2 and ejected from the game.
The NBA also announced Wednesday that Ellington received a $20,000 fine for what the league said was escalating the incident by posting a threatening comment on social media after the game.
Campazzo will sit out when the Nuggets begin their series Saturday at Chase Center against the Warriors. He averaged 5.1 points, 3.4 assists and 18.2 minutes this season.
"It's unfortunate," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after practice. "Facu sent me a message the other day apologizing for what happened in that Laker game."
Campazzo helped the Nuggets beat thePortland Trail Blazers in the postseason a year ago, before they were swept by the Phoenix Suns.
"He's definitely a guy that we could throw into any series and trust him," Malone said. "Obviously, with the league's ruling now that won't be the case for Game 1."
