The Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers will be at full strength for Game 7 after the NBA did not levy any suspensions or fines from a fourth-quarter skirmish between both teams in Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
The NBA confirmed Denver's Will Barton and Torrey Craig and Portland's Seth Curry and Zach Collins will not face any further discipline after a fourth-quarter incident resulted in shoving and those four players being given technical fouls.
The NBA's decision was first reported by Yahoo Sports.
Following an offensive foul on Denver's Nikola Jokic, Collins fell toward Barton's knees with 6:16 remaining in Thursday's Game 6. Barton said he was trying to avoid getting injured when Curry nudged Barton away as he went to help Collins up.
Barton shoved Curry back, and as the two were being separated, Barton appeared to point and poke Curry in the eye. Collins and Craig then joined the scuffle and all four players were assessed offsetting technical fouls.
"He waited for a few people to get in between us, and when a few people were in between us, he put his finger in my eye," said Curry, who took exception to Barton's finger in his face. "You know what I'm saying. I can't allow people to put their fingers in my eye.
"That's real sassy. They got a few sassy dudes over there. Front-runners. And we can't allow that."
Curry said he was surprised that Barton did not get ejected.
The Nuggets and Blazers will settle their best-of-seven series, which is tied at 3-3, on Sunday in Denver. Nuggets coach Michael Malone had hoped that both teams would be able to play the decisive game at full strength and he got his wish.
"It's competitive playoff basketball," Barton said of the tempers flaring in Game 6. "Some things are going to happen. If we are all out there just being friendly, it ain't going to look like nobody trying to win."
