Markieff Morris and Archie Goodwin got into a physical altercation on the Phoenix Suns' bench during a timeout.
An argument escalated into a shoving match in which teammates intervened.
"That was nothing. That was part of being a leader and big brother," Morris said after the team's 112-104 loss. "Of course it looks bad. Everything I do looks bad."
Both players returned to the game.
Morris has sought a trade from the Suns all season following the trade of his brother, Marcus Morris, to the Detroit Pistons.