Lucas explains decision to suspend Davis

Miami :quot; Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Lucas explained his reasons for suspending Ricky Davis, saying the punishment was for Davis’ on-court outburst against teammate Tyrone Hill.

Davis, the Cavs’ leading scorer with an average of 19 points per game, sat out Cleveland’s game at Miami on Saturday night. He also will miss Monday’s game at New York.

“It’s an unfortunate thing to happen,” Lucas said. “Ricky and I don’t have a problem. Ricky and the team have a problem.”

Davis yelled at Hill during the third quarter of Friday night’s loss to the 76ers, and Lucas benched Davis for the rest of the game.

Lucas said part of the reason for keeping Davis on the bench was Dajuan Wagner’s 29-point performance. But Lucas also said Davis’ outbursts may have reached a critical point.

Early in a Nov. 12 loss at Indiana, Davis got into a shouting match with teammate Bimbo Coles. Lucas kept Davis on the bench for the remainder of the first half and Davis didn’t leave the locker room for the second half.

“There were consequences in Indiana and there have been a progression of consequences,” Lucas said.

“I love Ricky and what he has done for us this year. He just has to stay within the team. He just has these problems that he has to get resolved.”

Kittles leaves game with knee injury

Portland, Ore. :quot; New Jersey Nets guard Kerry Kittles left Saturday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers with an apparent left knee injury.

Kittles was injured with about six minutes left in the third quarter. He suddenly clutched his left knee and limped from the Blazers’ end of the court toward his bench, where he was helped into the locker room.

The exact nature of the injury was not immediately known.

Kittles, averaging 12.7 points a game for the Nets, had 11 points against the Blazers. He missed the entire 200-01 season recovering from right knee surgery.

Mutombo sits against Trail Blazers

Portland, Ore. :quot; New Jersey Nets center Dikembe Mutombo did not play Saturday night against the Portland Trail Blazers because of soreness in his wrist.

Mutombo injured his right wrist in the third quarter of the Nets’ 126-118 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.

X-rays taken in Los Angeles on Friday were negative, but Mutombo and the team determined before Saturday night’s game in Portland that he shouldn’t play.

“Dikembe came in and told me (it was still sore) and I said, ‘What’s it going to be?”‘ Nets coach Byron Scott said. “And he said, ‘I can’t play.”‘