HOUSTON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The NBA announced Monday that it suspended Houston Rockets guard James Harden for one game without pay for kicking Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James during Sunday's game in Houston.
The kick happened in the third quarter of Houston's 105-103 victory over Cleveland and Harden fell back to the court, then kicked his foot up into James below the belt.
Harden was initially called for a Flagrant 1 foul, which meant the Cavs received two free throws and the ball but Harden was allowed to stay in the game.
James expressed his anger after the game, saying that Harden's kick was "not a basketball play" and that the league would probably look at it.
The NBA on Monday upgraded the call to a Flagrant 2 foul, and Harden will serve his suspension Tuesday night when the Rockets play the Atlanta Hawks. It will be the first game he has missed this season.
Harden, the NBA's leading scorer and a top MVP candidate, has not responded to the suspension, but dismissed the kick as "a reaction" in a Sunday interview.
