League suspends Nuggets F Martin

Dec 15, 2007 - 11:06 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) - The NBA on Saturday suspended Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin for one game without pay for a flagrant foul in Wednesday's game against the New Orleans Hornets.

In announcing the suspension, NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson said Martin was assessed a flagrant-2 foul for elbowing Melvin Ely of the Hornets in the head in the second quarter of Denver's 105-99 win.

Martin will sit out Saturday night's game against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

"I'm disappointed that I won't be out there with my teammates tonight against the Spurs," Martin said. "What happened with Melvin in Wednesday's game was inadvertent. I apologized to him on the court and again after the game. He told me he knew it was an accident."

The 6-9, 240-pound Martin is averaging 9.9 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Nuggets, who have won three straight and lead the Northwest Conference.