The NBL clash between the Townsville Crocs and the Perth Wildcats on Wednesday night became a bruising affair packed with drama on and off the court as the hosts defeated the visitors from the west 89-77.
Perth captain Damian Martin suffered a suspected broken jaw when he was struck in the face by the elbow of Crocs big man Brian Conklin. As a result, Martin was taken to hospital with a suspected broken jaw, concussion and a few lost teeth.
Both coaches exchanged barbs at the post-game press conferences with Perth coach Trevor Gleeson saying it was "one of the dirtiest plays I've ever seen."
But Townsville coach Shawn Dennis was having none of that, defending Conklin.
"We'll go to the video and see what the video says. Conklin's not a dirty player," he told the media.
"It's pretty ironic coming from him. They've got a few of guys on their team that throw a lot of elbows so perhaps he needs to look in his own back yard," Dennis added responding to the comments from Gleeson.
Adding to the high emotions of the night was Corey Maynard's outburst on the sidelines during a time-out when he argued with the coach feeling the frustration of a poor execution during play.
But Maynard redeemed himself in the final quarter with a couple of massive baskets to help Townsville to the 12 point home win serving up a second consecutive loss to the Wildcats.
Friday night's rematch in Perth should be an interesting affair as the Wildcats look for payback.