The New Orleans Pelicans are going to be without one of their key energy guys for a few nights as Jose Alvarado has been suspended by the NBA for his fight with Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams, who was suspended for one game.
The NBA released this official statement on the incident and subsequent ruling on Sunday night:
"The incident began when Alvarado committed a defensive foul on Williams, who in turn shoved Alvarado in the back. Alvarado then escalated the incident, and the players then engaged in an on-court altercation, including punches thrown. Alvarado and Williams were assessed technical fouls and ejected from the game.
While no one encourages physical violence in this manner on an NBA court, this does indeed encapsulate everything that Pelicans fans have come to love about Alvarado. He is over a foot shorter than Williams, but he never backed down.
That's the type of heart that New Orleans will miss over these two games against the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls.
Alvarado is averaging 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and a steal on 22.3 minutes per night and 43.7/37.6/82.6 shooting splits. His contributions are far more than whatever shows up on a stat sheet, though.
It'll be interesting to see how James Borrego adjusts his rotation with this, as Alvarado is trusted as one of the first ball-handlers off the bench. Based on the injury report, it appears that Trey Alexander will be made active for the game, but it's unclear what his level of involvement will be.
Alvarado will return on Friday, January 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers.