Matt Barnes suspended for physical altercation with Derek Fisher
Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes was suspended for two games without pay by the NBA on Monday for his physical altercation with New York Knicks Coach Derek Fisher in October.
Barnes confronted former Lakers teammate Fisher on Oct. 3 in Redondo Beach, the league announced in a release.
The incident occurred at the home of Barnes’ former wife, Gloria Govan.
The small forward said in November that he had gone to his ex-wife’s house to check on his children, when an altercation between the two men broke out.
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“We’re two grown men who should have handled grown men’s business,” Barnes said in November of the incident, “but he wanted to run and tell the cops and tell the NBA, so now it’s everywhere.”
Barnes will miss Memphis’ contests against the Miami Heat on Tuesday and the Utah Jazz on Saturday. The Grizzlies don’t play the Knicks until Jan. 16.
Barnes’ oft-volatile nature has cost him before.
Last season, Barnes was fined $50,000 for “directing inappropriate language at a fan” who happened to be Houston Rockets guard James Harden’s mother.
During the 2014-15 season the same action cost him $25,000 during a game against the Phoenix Suns, and he lost another $25,000 for kicking a water bottle into the stands during a game against the Washington Wizards.
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In 2013-14, Barnes paid out $50,000 in fines for failing to leave the court in a timely manner after being ejected from two games and for using bad language on his Twitter account.
Barnes has forfeited more than $303,000 in earnings, including the loss of two game checks for his most recent offense, according to Spotrac.
Barnes is averaging 8.6 points with 5.0 rebounds per game for the Grizzlies this season.
Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme
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