Brawl Suspensions
By Marty Gitlin
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
Madison Square Garden has long been known as a fight site.
Ali-Frazier. Louis-Marciano. Hagler-Robinson.
These famed brawls were inside a ring and the combatants wore gloves.
Not so Saturday night. The Nuggets had landed a haymaker on the Knicks in a game of basketball, then a boxing match broke out. No bell sounded before New York reserve Mardy Collins grabbed a driving J.R. Smith by the neck and yanked him down to the floor.
That’s when all hell broke loose. By the time order was restored, all 10 players on the court had been ejected, including Denver scoring machine Carmelo Anthony, who landed a punch on Collins, and New York guard Nate Robinson, who battled Smith in the stands.
The result, announced Monday, is that Anthony has been suspended for 15 games, while Smith and Robinson will be gone for 10 games each. The two Nuggets have combined to average nearly 50 points a game this season.
Other suspended are Collins (six games), Jeffries (four games), Denver forward Nene and New York center Jerome James (one game each for leaving the bench). All the suspensions start tonight, when Denver hosts Washington and New York hosts Utah.
In addition, both organizations have been fined $500,000.
NBA Commissioner David Stern cited several factors in determining the severity of the fines and suspensions.
“Teams will be held accountable for the actions of their employees – management and players alike,” he said. “Players must take advantage of a break or pause in a heated situation to stop and restore order, instead of escalating the situation. Players must heed directions from referees and others who are trying to maintain order and not continue to put fans, referees and peacemakers in harm’s way.”
The uncertainty surrounding both games had prevented WagerWeb.com from posting odds by early Monday afternoon, but expect the Nuggets-Wizards line to be much different than it would have been because of the suspensions and …
ARENAS BURNING UP ARENAS: Wherever Gilbert Arenas plays these days, explosions follow.
But Sunday night was ridiculous.
The Washington guard scored a franchise- and personal-high 60 points in a 147-141 overtime victory in Los Angeles against the Lakers. It marked Washington’s third road win of the season. Arenas scored 14 consecutive points during one sizzling stretch.
Arenas has pulled the Wizards out of an early-season slump. He is averaging 38.7 points in his last seven games while shooing 49 percent from the field.
The performance against the Lakers marked the highest point total by a Washington player since guard Earl (The Pearl) Monroe scored 56 in a 1968 game, coincidentally, against Los Angeles.
DRIBBLES: New Orleans is losing games on the court and players off it. Guard Peja Stojakovic has already missed nine games with what was believed to be back spasms, but has now opted for back surgery. He’s averaging 17.1 points a game and shooting 41 percent from 3-point range. Forward David West will undergo surgery on his right elbow. Top reserve Bobby Jackson has also been out with a cracked rib. The decimated Hornets play at Miami on Monday night and are 7.5-point underdogs, according to WagerWeb.com. … It could have been worse for Toronto point guard Jose Calderon, who was removed from Sunday’s win at Golden State on a stretcher after hurting his lower back going for a rebound. His neck was immobilized, but he had movement in all his limbs and is now listed as day-to-day. The Raptors have won three straight games despite the loss of Chris Bosh (left knee injury). … Orlando rookie guard J.J. Redick has finally received a bit of playing time due to injuries. He has played 50 total minutes in four games and is averaging 2.8 points a game. He has hit just 4 of 15 shots from the field.