The NBA announced Thursday that
Phoenix Suns power forward
Markieff Morris was suspended one game without pay for elbowing
Oklahoma City Thunder forward
Serge Ibaka in the face.
The incident occurred with 6:42 left in the third quarter of Tuesday night's preseason game won by Phoenix.
Morris is suspended for the first regular season-game in which he is eligible and physically able to play.
Also, the Suns announced that they waived guard/forward
James Nunnally, who appeared in three preseason games. The team's roster is at 17 players.
---Indiana Pacers forward
Danny Granger is doubtful for the season opener against the
Orlando Magic on Tuesday night because of a calf injury, coach Frank Vogel said Thursday.
Granger suffered the injury on Oct. 16 in an exhibition loss to the
Dallas Mavericks. He has not practiced since then. The Pacers complete their preseason schedule on Friday night in Dallas.
"There's a chance he could play on opening night, but it's probably unlikely," Vogel said, according to The Indianapolis Star. "He was on track to maybe have a role with the starting unit. Now he's struggling to find his timing.
"We're running the offense through Lance (Stephenson) when he comes off the bench. We'll see where he's at on a day-by-day basis."
---A strained groin could keep
Joakim Noah out of the
Chicago Bulls' season opener against the
Miami Heat on Tuesday.
Noah has played less than 20 minutes in preseason games and just returned to basketball drills on Wednesday after sitting out a week to rest, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Noah acknowledged that he wants to play against the Heat in the opener and that he's feeling better. Still, he's concerned about rushing back and having the injury linger.
"I have to be smart," he said. "It sucks. There's nothing more that I want than to be out there on the court."
---The
Washington Wizards trimmed their roster to 15 players ahead of the season opener next week by waiving forwards
Josh Childress and Pops Mensah-Bonsu and guard
Xavier Silas on Thursday, the team announced.
Childress, a 2004 lottery pick, averaged 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in four preseason games. Mensah-Bonsu also played in four exhibition games and averaging 0.5 points and 1.3 rebounds. Silas saw action three times during the preseason and averaged 4.0 points per game.
