The New Zealand Breakers' NBL season is threatening to implode as star player Parker Jackson-Cartwright faces an investigation for shoving a match official to the ground.
American guard Jackson-Cartwright and Tasmania forward Reuben Te Rangi were both referred to the NBL's game review panel for their roles in a melee that broke out during the JackJumpers' win on Christmas Day.
Tensions boiled over in the fourth quarter at MyState Bank Arena on Wednesday night when Te Rangi pushed Jackson-Cartwright during a stoppage in play.
Jackson-Cartwright fired back at the New Zealander, shoving a referee as the match official ran in to help break the teams apart.
Jackson-Cartwright then grappled with a second match official who attempted to restrain him, pushing him away after the pair became interlocked.
Neither player was ejected for their role in the conflict but Te Rangi received an unsportsmanlike foul and Jackson-Cartwright a technical foul before the JackJumpers ran out 97-82 winners.
The NBL has since launched an investigation into the incident to determine the severity of the pair's conduct and has the option to impose a fine or ban, or could refer the incident to a tribunal hearing.
As the GRP makes its assessment, both clubs will have the opportunity to provide written submissions to the tribunal to explain their player's role in the melee.
Contact with match officials is less of a faux pas in the NBL than in Australia's major football codes, which take a dim view of any referee contact.
There is nothing explicit in the NBL's rules that prohibits players from touching match officials and players will frequently make light contact as they address a referee during basketball's regular stoppages.
AAP understands the GRP will also consider whether the match official had accepted a risk of physical contact by stepping between the two warring players.
Adelaide 36ers import Montrezl Harrell escaped suspension for pushing a match official during a fracas earlier this season after the referee found himself between Harrell and a rival.
The referee did not fall to the ground on that occasion, though.
The NBL is hopeful the GRP will reach its resolution this week, with either club able to trigger a tribunal hearing by appealing any fine or suspension handed down.
An extended absence for Jackson-Cartwright could be the hammer blow to a season that is already precariously placed for the Breakers.
Jackson-Cartwright is the team's leading light and was superb on an injury-hit Breakers team last season, earning a nomination for league MVP and selection in the All-NBL First Team.
But this season not even the American guard has been able to ignite the ninth-placed Breakers, who are in the midst of an eight-game losing streak that stretches back to November 16.
With 11 games to play in their regular season, the Breakers are two wins out of the top six, where they must finish to feature in the play-in tournament.
In their next game, the Breakers face the struggling Cairns Taipans who are the only side lower on the ladder than they are.
Reigning champions the JackJumpers, meanwhile, are on a seven-game winning streak that has brought their own campaign back from the brink.
