Hawks rookie Kingston Flemings gets ban ahead of Pacers

The NBA suspended Atlanta Hawks rookie guard Kingston Flemings for one game without pay on Sunday after he elbowed New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens in the head. Flemings will miss the Hawks’ Monday night game against the Indiana Pacers.

In announcing the penalty, the league said Flemings was suspended for “intentionally elbowing” McGowens in the head. The play came with 3:04 left in the fourth quarter of Atlanta’s 121-99 loss in New Orleans on Saturday. Flemings drew a technical foul and was ejected.

Accounts of the sequence differ a bit. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that McGowens blocked a transition layup, and replays show Flemings catching him in the face as he gathered for it. McGowens then bumped him with a shoulder while both ran back downcourt. Another outlet describes a second elbow thrown while the two walked up the floor. That second version is likely what pushed the league toward a suspension rather than a fine.

Flemings, the eighth pick in this year’s draft, will give up a little more than $42,000 in salary. He had scored 12 points off the bench before he was thrown out, per the game recap. Atlanta has leaned on him as a steady reserve, so his absence will be felt on a night the Hawks can’t spare it.

Atlanta has to patch the guard spot on short notice

Coach Quin Snyder has a few options. Sports Illustrated’s Hawks site expects Aaron Wiggins to absorb heavier minutes. It also says two-way guard RayJ Dennis could get his first regular-season action. A less likely wrinkle is Dorian Finney-Smith as a small-ball center, though the Hawks may prefer to use Asa Newell or Ejiofor.