Shaquille O'Neal was suspended without pay by the NBA, one day after using obscene language and publicly criticizing the officials during a television interview.
The suspension was announced Monday just hours after O'Neal issued a statement apologizing for the comments he made following the Lakers' 84-83 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
O'Neal will serve the suspension Monday, sitting out a game against the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers. It will cost him nearly US$295,000.
PHOTO: AP
Lakers coach Phil Jackson called the punishment "rather severe and childish in some ways."
Jackson said he thought a fine would have been appropriate and that the fans would be penalized by not being able to see O'Neal in the Lakers' lone trip to Indianapolis.
"The league is known for its vindictiveness," Jackson said. "But we didn't anticipate a suspension."
O'Neal scored a season-high 36 points against the Raptors in his third game back after missing 12 because of a strained right calf, but was angered by the officiating.
He made that clear in his postgame interview on KCAL-TV -- conducted almost immediately after the game.
"My message to [commissioner] David Stern is get some people in there that understand the game and don't try to take over the ... game because people pay good money to see good athletes play," O'Neal said.
When reminded he was on live TV, O'Neal responded with another profanity before the interview continued.
"My comments were made out of frustration in the heat of the moment," O'Neal said in the statement released Monday by the Lakers. "But I realize that my choice of words was inappropriate and again, I would like to apologize."
The game in Indiana was the second of a seven-game road trip for the Lakers, who played without injured stars Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone, as well as O'Neal.
Jackson said "there was no precedence" for the suspension, but that the team will accept it and move on.
General manager Mitch Kupchak informed Jackson of the news hours after the team was game-planning to get O'Neal the ball early and often against the Pacers, Jackson said.
"I didn't get any satisfaction from their reasoning," Jackson said.
It was the latest in what has been a season full of injuries and drama for the Lakers.
"There's never been anything like this in my tenure," Jackson said of the injuries and Bryant's legal troubles.
Pacers forward Ron Artest said he would have preferred to see O'Neal in the lineup Monday night.
"I would rather have him play,'' said Artest, who added that he thought the suspension was deserved. "You don't want to play against a team that's not full strength."
Pacers 85, Lakers 72
Ron Artest had 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists and Al Harrington added 16 points to lead the Pacers to an 85-72 win over the Lakers on Monday night.
Shaquille O'Neal was suspended for one game without pay by the NBA earlier Monday, one day after using obscene language and publicly criticizing officials during a television interview following the Lakers' win over Toronto.
Jermaine O'Neal missed the game after straining his neck in Saturday's win over Boston.
Gary Payton went 1-for-8 in the first half and the Lakers, who were also missing Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone, went 7:18 without a field goal in the second quarter to fall behind 41-26 at half.
Payton finished with 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting. Stanislav Medvedenko, who had 14 points, was the only other Laker in double figures.
The Pacers countered with four players in double figures, a balance that was too much for the Lakers to overcome.
Without Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers turned in one of their worst offensive performances of the season. Their 72 points, 34.7 percent shooting and 26 first-half points were all easily season lows.
Clippers 101, Hawks 95
In Atlanta, Elton Brand scored 22 points, including three straight baskets in a key stretch of the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Clippers denied Atlanta its first winning streak of the season.
The Hawks have yet to win two in a row, falling to 0-15 coming off a victory.
Marko Jaric added 20 points for Los Angeles, while Chris Wilcox came off the bench to contribute 18 points.
Stephen Jackson and Shareef Abdur-Rahim led the Hawks with 20 points apiece.
Pistons 102, Heat 100, OT
In Miami, Richard Hamilton sank a tie-breaking 14-footer with 14 seconds left in overtime, and Detroit earned its fourth consecutive down-to-the-wire win.
The Pistons have won four games in a row by a total of eight points, including two overtime victories.
Tayshaun Prince scored a career-high 24 points for Detroit. Chauncey Billups added 23.
The Heat may have again lost rookie guard Dwyane Wade, who sprained his left ankle under the Miami basket with 2:22 left in the fourth quarter and hobbled out of the game. Wade, who missed 13 games with a sprained wrist before returning last week, finished with 17 points and six assists.
Eddie Jones scored 19 points for Miami. Lamar Odom had his 24th double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
nets 91, hornets 70
In New Orleans, Jason Kidd had 14 points and 12 assists, leading a fast-break offense that pushed the New Jersey Nets to their fifth straight win.
Kerry Kittles scored 12 of his 16 points in third quarter as the Nets blew the game open after a sluggish first half. Kenyon Martin had 13 points on six dunks and grabbed 12 rebounds as New Jersey sent New Orleans to its third loss in a row.
Richard Jefferson added 15 points for New Jersey, which has yet to lose since Lawrence Frank took over as head coach four games ago.
Jamaal Magloire had 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead New Orleans.
Grizzlies 106, Warriors 101
In Memphis, Tennessee, Pau Gasol and Lorenzen Wright scored 18 points each, and Gasol keyed a fourth-quarter comeback as the Grizzlies beat Golden State.
The win snapped Memphis' three-game losing streak and prevented the Warriors from tying their season high of four straight victories.
The Warriors cut it to 102-100 on a 3-pointer by Speedy Claxton with 32.6 seconds left, but couldn't get any closer. Gasol and Bonzi Wells each hit two free throws in the final 12 seconds to clinch the win.
Jason Richardson led the Warriors with 19 points, while Cliff Robinson finished with 17.
Spurs 83, Jazz 65
In Salt Lake City, Tim Duncan had 31 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead San Antonio to its 16th straight win over Utah.
The Spurs, who beat the Jazz for the second time in three nights, haven't lost to Utah in four years and the streak hardly appeared in jeopardy this time.
Tony Parker had 13 points and six assists, and Manu Ginobili finished with 12 points and four steals for San Antonio, which allowed just one Utah player to score in double figures.
Andrei Kirilenko led Utah with 10 points.
Suns 99, Rockets 79
In Phoenix, Shawn Marion scored 14 of his 31 points in the third period and Joe Johnson had with 27 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, helping Phoenix break a three-game losing streak.
The loss was the fourth straight for the Rockets, who were without leading scorer and All-Star guard Steve Francis. Francis, who is averaging 16.6 points per game, was suspended for one game without pay for missing the team's flight to Phoenix on Sunday night.
It was the sixth consecutive game that Johnson has scored at least 20 points, second only to the 16-game streak of Orlando's Tracy McGrady.
Yao Ming and Cuttino Mobley topped the Rockets with 16 points each.
Nuggets 116, Trail Blazers 97
In Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored a career-high 39 points on 14-of-22 shooting, and the Nuggets ended Portland's four-game winning streak.
The Nuggets pulled away in the second half with runs of 15-6 and 17-5.
Nene added 20 points and Voshon Lenard 13 as Denver posted its third straight win.
Portland, hurt by 24 turnovers, was led by Zach Randolph's 28 points and 11 rebounds.
SuperSonics 109, Bulls 97
In Seattle, Ray Allen scored 11 of his 27 points in the third quarter and Antonio Daniels added 10 points and 12 assists, as Seattle handed Chicago its 11th loss in 12 games.
It was tied at 54 at halftime, but Allen put the Sonics ahead with a 3-pointer and an off-balance jumper. Rashard Lewis added a 3-pointer and Seattle opened the second half with a 12-2 burst that swung the game.
The Sonics snapped a three-game losing streak, while the Bulls dropped to 1-20 against Western Conference teams.
Jamal Crawford, who grew up in Seattle, led the Bulls with 31 points, while Eddy Curry had 25 and Eddie Robinson 14.
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