Report: Zaza Pachulia Won't Face NBA Discipline for Falling on Russell Westbrook
Golden State Warriors big man Zaza Pachulia won't receive a fine or suspension from the NBA regarding an incident in which he fell on the legs of Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook, the Washington Post's Tim Bontemps reported Monday.
Westbrook had contended Pachulia intentionally fell on him during the Warriors' 112-80 victory on Saturday.
"Nobody touched me," Westbrook said, per the Mercury News' Mark Medina. "He fell over my leg. He tried to hurt me. But hey, that’s how it goes."
Westbrook's Thunder teammate Paul George also said the incident was "Zaza making a Zaza play" and argued the 34-year-old center is "on the end of hurting a lot of guys."
According to Medina, Pachulia denied the accusation he tried to hurt Westbrook and called the reigning MVP's comments "childish."
Warriors star Kevin Durant sided with his teammate and said Pachulia was merely "clumsy," per The Athletic's Anthony Slater:
Most recently, Pachulia drew the ire of San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich after Spurs star Kawhi Leonard landed on Pachulia's foot during Game 1 of last year's Western Conference Finals. Leonard suffered a sprained ankle that kept him out for the rest of the series.
When speaking to reporters during the conference finals, Popovich contended Pachulia hadn't made a natural closeout when defending Leonard's shot and said Pachulia "has a history with that kind of action."
With the league taking no action against him, Pachulia will be available to play Monday night against the New York Knicks.
