PHOENIX — The NBA suspended Phoenix Suns guard Raja Bell for one game Wednesday for throwing Kobe Bryant to the floor in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
That means the Suns will be without Bell, the principal defender against Bryant, for Game 6 tonight in Los Angeles.
Phoenix beat the Lakers 114-97 in Game 5, but Los Angeles still leads the best-of-seven series 3-2, and can eliminate the Suns with a victory.
In a brief news release, the NBA said Bell was suspended for "excessive and unnecessary contact."
"It was a very unmanly act, and it was unnecessary for our game," commissioner David Stern said before Wednesday night's game in Cleveland. The suspension had yet to be announced when the Suns practiced earlier Wednesday. After the workout, Bell repeated that throwing Bryant down was wrong, but explained what led to the foul and made clear his dislike for the Lakers' star.
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"I have no respect for him," Bell said. "I think he's a pompous, arrogant individual."
