It was a rough night for the Toronto Raptors as they lost to the bottom-dwelling Cleveland Cavaliers 126-101 on Monday night. It was a fairly uneventful game except for the fact that Raptors player Serge Ibaka absolutely manhandled Marquese Chriss of the Cavs. Both players had been battling all night long and tempers finally boiled over after both players went for the ball in the third quarter. Ibaka ended up falling backward after being guarded by Chriss. The Cavs player than looked down at Ibaka and sent some words his way. That's when Ibaka rushed up and began to choke Chriss, which then led to punches thrown by both players.
Both Ibaka and Chriss were promptly ejected from the game. Neither player commented on the situation after the match but according to ESPN, a spokesperson for the Raptors explained that Ibaka was upset at what Chriss said while he was laying on the court.
Ibaka has been suspended in the past which means he could be facing a 3-5 game suspension. The Raptors veteran would lose $149,000 per game if he were to miss any matches.
With the loss, the Raptors now sit at a record of 48-20 and are still ranked second in the Eastern Conference.