NBA strikes back at Nuggets and Knicks for brawl

Commissioner David Stern suspended six other players and levied a fine of $500,000 against each team.

Denver’s J.R. Smith was hit with a 10-game suspension, as was New York’s Nate Robinson. Mardy Collins of the Knicks was suspended for six games and teammate Jared Jeffries was given a four-game penalty.

New York’s Jerome James and Denver’s Nene were each suspended one game for leaving the bench during the altercation.

"The NBA and its players represent a game of extraordinary skill, athleticism and grace, and, for good or bad, set an example for the entire basketball world, on and off the court," Stern said in a statement.

"On the positive side, there is our players’ passion for the game, engagement with our fans, commitment to their communities and respect for the history and tradition of the game. With respect to the negative, while we have worked diligently to eliminate fighting from our game, there are failures such as Saturday night at Madison Square Garden that demonstrate there is still more to be done.

"It is our obligation to take the strongest possible steps to avoid such failures in the future and to make a statement to all who follow the game of basketball that we understand our obligations and take them seriously."

A total of 10 players were ejected from the Nuggets’ 123-100 win over the Knicks Saturday night after the brawl late in the fourth quarter.

It was with 1:15 left in the fourth quarter and the Knicks behind 119-100 when Collins threw his arms around the neck of Smith as he drove to the basket.

Collins was called for a flagrant two foul, but Smith immediately protested the hard contact and jawed at the Knicks rookie. Robinson then barreled in and yelled at Smith, tackling him into the stands.

Anthony then pushed Jeffries and extended his right hand to punch Collins, and the action moved toward center court when Jeffries tried to get at the Nuggets star player, but he was pulled down by another player before order was restored.

Although the violence fell short of the brawl between Indiana and Detroit, which spilled into the stands in November 2004, this melee was out of hand as far as the players were concerned in the nation’s most famous arena.

Anthony, Smith, Eduardo Najera, Marcus Camby and Andre Miller were thrown out of the game for Denver, while Collins, Jeffries, Robinson, Channing Frye and David Lee were all ejected for the Knicks.