MY ACCOUNT
Chris Paul was furious after members of his family were reportedly subjected to physical contact and harassed during the Dallas Mavericks’ Game 4 win over the Phoenix Suns.
A Mavs fan was ejected during their 110-101 victory at American Airlines Center, where the Western Conference semi-finals series was tied at 2-2 on Sunday.
Suns point guard Paul made an early exit from the court as he fouled out early in the fourth quarter.
It was claimed Paul’s mother, Robin, was pushed by a Mavs supporter as she watched the game along with her son’s wife, Jada, and their children – prompting the Suns star to seek out security staff.
A furious Paul tweeted: “Wanna fine players for saying stuff to the fans but the fans can put they hands on our families….f*** that!!”
It was a miserable night for Paul, who was hit with a fourth foul when a wily Luka Doncic tumbled towards the baseline after they both went up for a rebound just before half-time.
Paul then fouled out with just under nine minutes to play and knows he must learn from his mistakes.
He said: “I’ve got to look back at it. I mean, I can’t put myself in the situation to give them that ability to do that. I’ve just got to look at myself and figure out how to do better.”
Doncic spoke of his respect for Paul, but felt he only had himself to blame for being dismissed.
“He [Paul] is one of the best point guards this league has ever had,” Doncic said. “His mentality is insane, the way he sees the court, his IQ is amazing, so I think it was big time.
“He was in foul trouble, so we tried to get after him and if you don’t have CP out there, it’s for sure tougher on their team.
“I saw he was going for the rebound and I was surprised. He said to me if I pushed him that hard. I said, ‘No, not that hard, but it was a smart play.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I know.'”
Devin Booker scored 35 points for the Suns, who will look to respond in Game 5 at Footprint Center on Tuesday.
