Chicago’s Pippen Faces July Court Appearance After Domestic Incident

Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen pleaded innocent in Waukegan, Ill., Monday to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge involving his fiancee.

Pippen was arrested May 19 after his fiancee, Yvette Deleone, said he seized her by the arm and pushed her against a vehicle, police said. Authorities said Deleone had no visible injuries and did not request medical attention.

Pippen’s attorney, Sheldon Zenner, said the couple had gotten into a “very mundane, commonplace, silly” domestic quarrel and when the basketball player tried to leave, Deleone tried to stop him and he pushed her.

Pippen’s case has been scheduled for a jury trial July 17.

The NBA’s threat of a lockout sent the league and its players union back to the bargaining table to discuss a long-delayed labor deal.

Simon Gourdine, executive director of the players association, said he and union president Buck Williams were meeting with NBA commissioner David Stern and his deputy, Russ Granik.

The first meaningful talks in more than three weeks followed published reports that the league would lock out its players immediately following the NBA Finals if a new collective bargaining agreement wasn’t reached by then.

NBC’s Nielsen ratings through the first two games of the NBA Finals are up 15 percent over last year.

Friday night’s game between Houston and Orlando received a 12.0 rating with a 23 share, up 12 percent over the second game of last year’s final between Houston and New York.

Each rating point represents 1 percent of the estimated 95.4 million American television households.

Indianapolis Pacers forward Dale Davis, who dislocated his right shoulder twice this season, had surgery and will have his arm in a sling for four to six weeks.