Four Wizards - Randy Foye, Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee, and Nick Young - were fined $10,000 apiece for making fun of the situation. Coach Flip Saunders has banned gambling on the team plane.
“It was foolish, stupid, immature,’’ said Foye, “but I’ve got to be a man and accept my penalty and I apologize to the fans and the organization for behaving in that manner.’’
Foye scored a season-high 20 points.
Before the game, Antawn Jamison took a microphone to address fans. Jamison, who had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Wizards, called the whole situation “very embarrassing’’ and told the sellout crowd “being a positive role model is something we don’t take lightly.’’
Dwight Howard had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, who have lost four straight for the first time since February 2007. All four of the losses have come against sub-.500 teams.
Orlando played most of the game without guard Vince Carter, who injured his left shoulder in a collision in the second quarter and did not return.
The team removed nearly all traces of their star guard from the arena, taking Arenas-related merchandise out of stores and editing him out of the pregame video shown on the scoreboard.
“It’s kind of like a circus every day,’’ said DeShawn Stevenson, who met with his lawyer Friday in preparation for testifying before the grand jury investigating Arenas, “but at the same time it’s our jobs and we need to take it seriously.’’
Timberwolves 116, Pacers 109 - Al Jefferson had 25 points and 12 rebounds as Minnesota took a home win over Indiana.
Kevin Love had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Ryan Gomes added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves, who snapped a five-game losing streak.
Danny Granger scored 19 points in his return from a 16-game absence because of a heel injury, but the All-Star missed an open look at a 3-pointer that would have tied it with about 15 seconds to play and the Pacers lost their eighth straight road game.
