The Phoenix Suns returned to their winning ways on Friday night, securing a 125-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, fueled by another strong performance from superstar forward Kevin Durant. However, despite the win, Durant found himself facing an unusual punishment from the NBA following the game.
Durant had a relatively quiet night, contributing 17 points on 7-10 shooting, along with six assists and two rebounds. Early in the game, though, he drew attention when he appeared to throw a punch at Karlo Matkovic after the two collided during a play. At the time, no foul was called on Durant.
Initially, it seemed Durant would avoid any repercussions for the incident, but the NBA had other plans. Two days after the game, the league announced they had reviewed the play and decided to assess Durant a Flagrant Foul Penalty 1 for his actions.
“After league review, Kevin Durant (PHX) has been assessed a Flagrant Foul Penalty 1 for this action against Karlo Matković (NOP) at 1:29 of 1st qtr on 2/28/25,” NBA Official shared in a post on X, accompanied by a clip of the play in question.
While the lack of a foul call during the game had no immediate impact, the Pelicans would have been awarded two free throws and possession had it been called in real time. However, given Phoenix’s 17-point margin of victory, it likely wouldn’t have changed the outcome.
Durant and the Suns will aim to move past this incident as they prepare for their next game. They are set to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. EST.
