As expected, the NBA has suspended Wizards center Hilton Armstrong for one game – tonight at Toronto – for his flagrant foul, penalty two on Heat center Joel Anthony during the third quarter of Monday’s game in Miami. Armstrong must’ve recognized how similar the play looked to Elton Brand’s shove of JaVale McGee just last week – which also got Brand a one-game suspension – because he appeared to try to reach to pick Anthony up before the guy even hit the ground. Too little too late, plus he got sent sprawling to the floor himself when Juwan Howard offered his own push.
Meanwhile, Wizards rookie John Wall has missed out on his first go at an NBA rookie award, having been denied NBA Eastern Conference rookie of the month in favor of the New York Knicks’ Landry Fields.
Wall is averaging 18.0 points, 9.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 steals, but he’s also missed six of Washington’s last eight games with injuries, including the last two in a row with a bruised knee. Reports out of Toronto say that Wall participated in shootaround this morning and remains a game-time decision for tonight.
Fields, who was a second-round draft pick, is averaging 10.8 points and 7.1 rebounds, but he’s started all 19 of New York’s games this season. Apparently, perfect attendance is always worth extra credit.
