Matt Barnes had a bad day off the court on Thursday that spilled into his actions on the court later that night, his coach believes.
Barnes was suspended one game by the NBA for his postgame conduct after a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. Barnes went after Milwaukee’s John Henson in the tunnel/locker room towards the end of Memphis’ loss and reportedly wanted to fight his opponent.
Speaking about the suspension Saturday, Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger implied that Barnes was frustrated that day because photos of his estranged wife Gloria Govan with new boyfriend Derek Fisher emerged:
Joerger ultimately says Barnes suspension was fair. Says TMZ photos of Barnes ex wife with Derek Fisher might not have helped Barnes' mood.
— Geoff Calkins (@geoff_calkins) March 19, 2016
Here's the Joerger quote on Barnes: "I'm sure Matt didn't have a good day when pictures came out of his ex wife and Derek Fisher on TMZ."
— Geoff Calkins (@geoff_calkins) March 19, 2016
Fisher’s relationship with Barnes’ estranged wife has been a storyline throughout the season. It all began in the preseason when Barnes went over to his former home and got into a fight with Fisher. He ultimately was suspended two games by the NBA for the incident, which also played a role in Fisher’s undoing as head coach of the Knicks.
Barnes has now been hit with over $100,000 in fines by the NBA this season. You can see video of his incident with Henson here.
