Barkley, Drexler Suspended
Around the NBA
Charles Barkley was suspended for two games and Clyde Drexler for one, and both Rockets were fined Friday by the NBA for touching referee Jack Nies during Houston’s game Thursday night.
Barkley was fined $7,500 for poking Nies’ nose and drawing blood during an argument with 5:47 remaining in Houston’s 115-101 loss to San Antonio. Drexler received a $5,000 fine for bumping Nies. Both also received automatic $1,000 fines for being ejected.
“We are not going to allow NBA players to put our referees at physical risk,” said Rod Thorn, the league’s director of basketball operations. “I don’t think that Barkley intentionally tried to injure the referee, but when a player is waving his arms in a referee’s face - like Barkley did last night - he will be held responsible for the consequences.”
Rockets spokesman Tim Frank said that Drexler planned to appeal but doesn’t think Barkley will.
Both players will miss Houston’s game against Miami tonight, and Barkley also will sit out Monday’s meeting with Milwaukee.
“I think the officiating was terrible,” Barkley said after the game. “It was unprofessional of him (Nies). He said something I did not like. I didn’t say anything.”
With the Spurs ahead 99-83, San Antonio’s Will Perdue tied up Hakeem Olajuwon under the Houston basket. Drexler and Barkley, each already with one technical foul, wanted a flagrant foul called on Perdue, just as one was called a few minutes earlier against Houston’s Kevin Willis.
In the milling of shouting and gesturing players, Nies got poked.
Asked what happened after that, Barkley, who already has served a one-game suspension for fighting in an exhibition game, replied: “I don’t know. Maybe he blew his nose too hard.”
In addition to the fines, Barkley, who earns $4.695 million this season, will lose more than $114,000 in salary for the two missed games. Drexler, whose salary is $5.5 million, will lose more than $67,000 for missing one game.
Stockton puts on his own magic show
John Stockton wasn’t everywhere Friday night. It just seemed that way to the Orlando Magic.
The Utah guard had 22 points, 15 assists, five rebounds, four steals and even a blocked shot to lead the Jazz to a 98-93 come-from-behind victory.
“The guy’s unbelievable,” Orlando’s Rony Seikaly said. “I think he’s got 16 eyes around his head. He just sees everybody and gets the ball in perfect position for people to convert.”
Utah trailed most of the night before Stockton scored 16 in the fourth quarter. He made a clutch 3-pointer during an 8-0 burst and an off-balance jumper in the lane that put Utah up 93-87 with just under a minute to go.
Karl Malone was relatively quiet after scoring 35 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in an overtime victory at Miami on Thursday night. But he had two timely baskets down the stretch and finished with 20 points and six rebounds to move within four of becoming the 23rd player in NBA history to collect 10,000 rebounds in a career.
Clifford Robinson scored nine of his 21 points in the decisive third quarter as Portland beat Dallas 107-77. Robinson and Isaiah Rider, who scored 12 of his 18 points in the third, led the Blazers on a 31-10 third-quarter run after the Mavericks had cut the deficit to two points early in the period.