Basketball: No punishment for Russell Westbrook but fan banned after on-court altercation

Oklahoma City Thunder star point guard Russell Westbrook will not be punished by the NBA for shoving a fan who ran onto the court in the side's 127-124 loss in Denver on Friday (NZ time).

After Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris hit a game-winning three-pointer over Westbrook, the male fan charged the caught and got up close to Westbrook and looked t be telling the Thunder guard all about the result.

Westbrook extended an arm to push the fan away in an act deemed acceptable by the league.

Westbrook on the fan coming on the floor after the final buzzer: “They can’t come on the floor. It’s totally unacceptable.” pic.twitter.com/6s7DjD177o

— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) February 2, 2018

"Got to be able to protect the players," Westbrook told media after the match. "They can't come on the floor. That's totally unacceptable."

The fan was escorted from the arena by venue security and ESPN reported law enforcement later issued him with a summons and complaint for trespass. He has also been banned from attending games.

Prior to the incident, the sides battled in a high-scoring affair that is sure to be a candidate for match of the season when the campaign comes to a close. The Thunder fought back from a big deficit to tie it with less than two seconds remaining, before Harris sunk their comeback as time expired.