NBA: Toronto Raptors' Serge Ibaka and Chicago Bulls' Robin Lopez get 1-game bans

New York (AFP) - Chicago Bulls centre Robin Lopez and Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka were each suspended one game without pay by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Wednesday for exchanging punches during an altercation.

Ibaka, who was born in the Republic of the Congo but plays internationally for Spain, and American Lopez were given technical fouls and ejected from the game after swinging blows with 3min 58sec remaining in the third quarter of Toronto's 122-120 overtime victory over visiting Chicago on Tuesday.

Ibaka will miss the Raptors' game on Thursday at Miami while Lopez will serve his ban on Wednesday (US time) when the Bulls play host to Detroit.

Raptors assistant coach Jamaal Magloire was fined US$15,000 (S$21,000) for pushing Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic, who was born in Montenegro but like Ibaka, also plays for Spain, and acting as other than a peacemaker during the same altercation.

At 42-29, the Raptors are on a three-game win streak and 11/2 games behind Washington for third place in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls, 33-38, are two games behind Miami for the eighth and final East play-off berth.

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