Originally published March 8, 2009 at 12:00 AM | Page modified March 8, 2009 at 12:17 AM

NBA | Charles Barkley starts his jail sentence

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley began serving a three-day jail sentence Saturday for a drunken-driving charge. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe...

By The Associated Press

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PHOENIX — Hall of Famer Charles Barkley began serving a three-day jail sentence Saturday for a drunken-driving charge.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Barkley already had been acting like a "model inmate," even chatting with others at Tent City, where inmates are housed in tents rather than traditional jail cells.

Barkley has a private tent, but is close enough to other inmates to talk, Arpaio said.

Barkley, a TNT studio analyst, was to spend Saturday in custody, but will be given work release from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. He will get work release at 8 a.m. Monday and will not have to return to the tents at 8 p.m. That adds up to about 36 hours in jail.

Arpaio said Barkley, 46, is not being given special treatment and has a separate tent for his own safety. Meals will be brought to Barkley.

"I didn't have to put him in the tents. I could have put him in a cell all by himself — that would be special," Arpaio said.

Barkley pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor DUI charges stemming from a Dec. 31 arrest, shortly after leaving a Scottsdale nightclub. He had a blood-alcohol level of .149 percent, nearly twice the legal limit of .08 percent.

Notes

• Brandon Roy, a former standout for the Washington Huskies and Garfield High School in Seattle, scored 31 points to lead host Portland to a 95-93 victory over Minnesota. The Trail Blazers have won their last 11 home games.

• Jason Terry, a graduate of Franklin High School in Seattle, matched his season high of 33 points to help host Dallas beat Washington 119-103.

• Visiting Charlotte won 114-105 over the New York Knicks for its franchise-record sixth consecutive victory. Knicks guard Nate Robinson, a former standout for the Washington Huskies and Rainier Beach High in Seattle, returned after missing a game because of a sprained ankle and had 20 points on 5-for-15 shooting.

• Golden State's Jamal Crawford, a Rainier Beach graduate, scored 32 points in a 127-120 loss at Milwaukee.

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