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 Monday, December 27
Rose neither suspended nor fined
 
Associated Press

 NEW YORK -- New York Knicks forward Kurt Thomas was suspended for two games without pay and fined $10,000 by the NBA on Monday for punching Jalen Rose of the Indiana Pacers.

Kurt Thomas
Thomas
Jalen Rose
Rose

Thomas will miss games at New Jersey on Tuesday and at Washington on Thursday. Rose was not suspended or fined.

Their confrontation happened during the third quarter of the Pacers' 101-90 victory on Christmas night.

Thomas says he was provoked when Rose elbowed him in the stomach under the Indiana basket as the two were going for a rebound. Thomas then barged into Rose at midcourt, hit him in the head with an elbow and clipped him with a soft jab to the chin.

Rose swung back, but did not connect. However, both were ejected.

"I didn't do anything," Rose said.

"I was protecting myself," Thomas said. "I wish I'd handled it differently."