'Clear the benches': Seven ejected after wild NBL brawl

Seven players were ejected in a fiery late-game altercation between the Adelaide 36ers and Brisbane Bullets on Wednesday night.

The NBL referred the incident straight to the game review panel after Adelaide's dominant 107-74 win on the Gold Coast.

With a little more than three minutes left, Adelaide's Nick Rakocevic and the Bullets' Hunter Maldonado tussled during a box out, which then turned into a wrestling match off-court.

READ MORE: Sinner defies 'odds' to set up Djokovic showdown

READ MORE: Aussie opens up on UFC future as White House rumour lingers

READ MORE: Waratahs coach breaks silence on wild pre-season brawl

Players from both benches got involved leading to the referees ejecting seven players.

Rakocevic and Maldonado received disqualifying fouls and were ejected from the game.

Also sent for their part in the melee were Terry Taylor, Sam McDaniel, Taine Murray and Alex Ducas of the Bullets.

The altercation lasted at least a minute and the 36ers were rewarded four free throws.

"This is absolutely on. It's a clear the benches-type brawl," ESPN commentator Joel Peterson said.

The NBL issued a statement late on Wednesday.

"An on-court incident involving multiple players occurred during tonight's Ignite Cup game between the Brisbane Bullets and Adelaide 36ers, with 3:02 remaining in the fourth quarter," it read.

"The incident has been referred to the NBL's game review panel for consideration in accordance with the NBL tribunal rules. Relevant parties will be notified of the next steps in the process.

"No further comment will be made by the NBL while the matter is under review."

The 36ers' victory means they have a two game lead over South East Melbourne Phoenix and will play in the Ignite Cup final.

The NBL will award $400,000 to the winning team.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply