The Denver Nuggets will be without reserve guard Facundo Campazzo for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. The NBA announced that Campazzo will serve a one-game suspension after forcefully shoving Los Angeles Lakers guard Wayne Ellington from behind in Denver's regular-season finale against L.A. last week. Ellington has also been issued a $20,000 fine for escalating the incident after making a threatening comment on social media after the game.
The incident happened during the second quarter on April 10, when Campazzo trucked Ellington with a forearm that sent him flying to the ground after missing a layup. After Campazzo stumbled out of bounds he then came back into play and while Ellingont was getting in position to box out Campazzo came from behind and aggressively shoved him to the floor. Campazzo was immediately assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game.
Here's how the incident happened:
After the game, Ellington took to Twitter to say, "When I see you, I'm putting my hands on you," in regards to Campazzo shoving him to the ground. Clearly, the league didn't like Ellington's comments toward Campazzo, which is why he was fined.
While being down a player is never ideal, Campazzo hasn't had the most successful season with the Nuggets this year. There was a stretch toward the end of the season where he didn't even play for eight-straight games for the Nuggets, as his place on the depth chart has been moved further down. His shooting efficiency has decreased, and so have his minutes. But with the Nuggets already down two star players in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. entering the playoffs, having everyone available will be key as the Nuggets take on a Warriors team that could be at full strength if Stephen Curry returns soon.