NBA Notebook | Suspensions likely to come en masse today

NEW YORK — It was late in the fourth quarter. The New York Knicks were losing badly. The Madison Square Garden crowd was cheering for the Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony.

And roughly at that time, according to the New York Daily News, Knicks coach Isiah Thomas was caught talking directly to Anthony by cameras Saturday night, possibly warning him that a hard foul would be administered if Anthony or any of his teammates dared to venture in the paint.

Videotapes available on ESPN.com clearly indicate Thomas talking to someone on the floor, saying "Don't go to the basket right now."

A source in the league, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that Thomas advised Anthony not to go near the basket shortly before the hard foul occurred.

So when Denver's J.R. Smith went in on another fast break Saturday, Mardy Collins figured he'd put a stop to it with a hard foul. It was the start of a wild brawl.

The fight went from one end of the court to the other. Anthony dropped Collins with a punch, Smith and Nate Robinson went flying into the stands while fighting, and six other players were ejected.

Anthony, the NBA's leading scorer, apologized Sunday but he could be looking at a suspension of more than five games. The NBA was reviewing the incident, and it could announce penalties before both teams play tonight.

What caused the meltdown? It seems to come down to this: The Knicks felt dissed.

"The score period, and the guys that they had in," said Robinson, a former Washington Husky.

Anthony, Camby, Smith and fellow starter Andre Miller were all still on the floor with Denver leading by 19 points with 1:15 to play.

Anthony said Sunday he was sorry his emotions got the best of him.

"Last night's altercation with the Knicks escalated further than it should have. I take full responsibility for my actions in the matter," Anthony said in a statement.

He apologized to fans, the Nuggets, the NBA, his own family — and to Collins and his family.

Thomas said he told Anthony that he and Camby shouldn't have been in the game after it was decided.

Nuggets coach George Karl had just dispatched three players to the scorer's table to check in while the Knicks brought the ball up. But before play stopped so they could check in, New York turned it over, starting Smith's fast break.

Two minutes earlier, Smith had thrown down a reverse dunk on the break, as both he and Anthony seemed to be trying to impress their group of fans. Smith is from New Jersey, and Anthony, who scored 23 points in the second half, is a New York native.

The Knicks weren't enjoying the show and Thomas and Karl have a history of not always getting along in the past.

Robinson said the Knicks were "just trying to fight, come back from the deficit and they got their star players still in. It's a slap in the face to us as a franchise."

76ers in no hurry to deal Iverson

PHILADELPHIA — Allen Iverson might stick around Philadelphia a while longer.

Philadelphia 76ers team president Billy King told The Associated Press on Sunday he would not rush to deal Iverson, the disgruntled former NBA Most Valuable Player who has drawn heavy trade interest from around the league.

"We never put a timetable on this," King said. "The only timetable I'll put on this is to make the best decision for this franchise for the long haul. We've got to be very methodical as we go through this and do our due diligence. This is not something we're going to rush into."

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the brawl Saturday night between the Knicks and Nuggets could delay a potential deal involving Iverson.

The Nuggets have been engaged in serious discussions with Philadelphia about Iverson, trying to broker a three-team deal that would allow them to move enough contracts to take Iverson's $17.1 million salary.

A league spokesman said Sunday that while there was no specific language in the collective-bargaining agreement that would bar a team with suspended players from making trades, the league would likely have to review any potential deal involving a player on its suspended list.

Raptors' Calderon leaves on stretcher

TORONTO — Raptors point guard Jose Calderon was removed from the court on a stretcher and placed in a neck brace Sunday after injuring his lower back on a rebound.

Tests revealed he sustained just a bruise to his left lower back. He's listed as day to day, and did not accompany the team on its flight to Phoenix after the game.

He was hurt with 32 seconds left while blocking out Golden State's Mickael Pietrus. The game was delayed for several minutes as Calderon was motionless on the floor. The Raptors said he was being taken to the hospital for tests.

"He does have movement in all his limbs," Toronto spokesman Jim LaBumbard said.

NOTE

• Hornets guard Peja Stojakovic had lower back surgery Sunday, and the team gave no timetable for his return.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.