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Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka will reportedly not be suspended, but instead fined by the NBA for punching Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin on Sunday, according to Sports Illustrated writer Chris Mannix (via Twitter):
No suspension coming for Serge Ibaka, I'm told. Fine only for the crotch shot on Blake Griffin.
— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) March 5, 2013
Ibaka was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul during the game but was not ejected for the chop.
The incident occurred late in the fourth quarter of the Thunder's 108-104 win at the Staples Center on Sunday afternoon, after the video replay showed Ibaka delivered a shot to Griffin's groin, sending L.A.'s high-flyer to the ground.
Ibaka defended his actions after the game, claiming he wasn't out to hurt Griffin (via USA Today's Adi Joseph):
He hit my hands away. He's strong, so when he grabs you, your jersey or whatever, and you try to defend yourself and rebound. So maybe you can do some move, not to hurt, (but) just to get good position. But then something happens where you get hurt in the paint. It's not anything where I want to try to hurt him. I'm not that kind of person. I just try to play hard, and that's it.
Although Ibaka's comments aren't shocking based on who they are coming from, most who watched Sunday's marquee Western Conference showdown knew immediately after watching the initial replay that Ibaka's chop was anything but a basketball play and no doubt unnecessary.
The argument can certainly be made that it was intentional, as the windup and force of the blow made it look like a mean-spirited shot to a defenseless player.
Griffin wasn't seriously injured, but Ibaka, who was not ejected for the shot, proved to be huge for the Thunder down the stretch, scoring on a three-point play with a minute left to give Oklahoma City a four-point lead.
The referee's call, and the result of the game, could have huge playoff implications as the Thunder currently lead the Clippers by 1.5 games for the second seed in the Western Conference standings.
Oklahoma City's fourth-leading scorer, Ibaka is averaging 13.6 points 7.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game this season on 56.3 percent shooting from the field. The 23-year-old doesn't have a reputation as a dirty player, but this incident certainly won't make him popular among his NBA peers.
Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.
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