On Friday night, the Miami Heat secured a commanding 106-95 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. However, tensions escalated in the early fourth quarter following a robust foul on Zion Williamson. This altercation led to the ejection of four players: Jimmy Butler and Thomas Bryant from the Heat, and Naji Marshall and Jose Alvarado from the Pelicans.

"I just know dudes started scrapping and I had to protect my teammates," Heat center Bam Adebayo said. "That's what it boiled down to. Obviously, you get ejected if you leave the bench, so I tried to stay on the sideline and run from sideline to sideline to see if I could help my teammates. But those scuffles happen, it's part of basketball. We compete, we gonna have blow-ups like that."

In the opening moments of the fourth quarter, Williamson believed he was fouled during a drive to the basket, expressing his frustration. He swiftly turned that energy into a steal from Butler. Upon his subsequent attempt at the rim, Kevin Love wrapped him up, sending him to the floor. The forceful foul stirred intense emotions among Williamson's teammates, prompting a quick rush to his defense.

Marshall swiftly arrived on the scene, delivering a slight bump to Love before confronting Butler. In an attempt to disengage, Butler pushed Marshall, provoking a forceful reaction from the Pelicans forward, who resorted to grabbing Butler by the neck in a chokehold. This ignited Butler's fury, leading to a chase as players, coaches, and security personnel intervened to separate the two.

As the tension seemed to subside, a new incident unfolded as Bryant aggressively approached Alvarado near the scorer's table. In an escalation, Bryant was observed throwing multiple punches, triggering a fresh skirmish that drew personnel from both teams to intervene. The motives behind their confrontation remain ambiguous, adding an element of uncertainty to the unfolding events.

Following the tumultuous episode, as the atmosphere returned to a semblance of normalcy with players retreating to their respective benches, the officiating crew took charge. The referees, in a meticulous examination using the monitor, deliberated on the incidents that transpired. Concluding their review, they maintained the classification of the foul on Love as a common foul. However, in a decisive move, all four players implicated in the altercation—Butler, Bryant, Marshall, and Alvarado—were handed double technical fouls and subsequently ejected from the game.

"Butler and Marshall engaged in physical contact which escalates the altercation," crew chief Curtis Blair said in the pool report after the game. "Alvarado and Bryant engaged in a physical altercation that continued the altercation. We did not see them leave [their benches], but it is not our decision.  It is up to the league office to determine if they left their respective benches."

Away from the on-court drama, the involvement of fans added another layer of chaos. Video footage from the stands revealed a fan, identified by a CJ McCollum jersey, throwing objects at players amidst the Bryant-Alvarado confrontation. In a separate incident highlighted on the Pelicans' broadcast, a Heat fan wearing a Dwyane Wade shirt was escorted from his seat by security. The actions of these fans further heightened the intensity and complexity of the situation surrounding the game.

"I thought it was two competitive teams that want to win, and sometimes you're gonna have things like that happen," Pelicans head coach Willie Green said. "No big deal." 

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