J.R. Smith Suspended For Errant Elbow To Jason Terry

J.R. Smith has been suspended for Game 4 of the Knicks series against the Boston Celtics for nailing Jason Terry with an elbow.

The elbow took place with a little more than seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of the Knicks win on Friday. It appeared that Smith intentionally swung his elbow at Terry to get the defending Celtic player to back off. The blow connected, sending Terry to the floor and nearly sparking a fight between the players.

“I was trying to draw the foul,” Smith said. “He reached in one time. I thought he was going to reach in again a second time. I was going to try to get a quick shot off, but they made a call that the refs saw. Not really much I could do about it.”

After a video review, referees deemed the play a flagrant foul 2, which meant an automatic ejection for J.R. Smith.

Until that point Smith had been having a strong night for the Knicks, who were in control of the game and the series. He finished with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 24 minutes of action.

J.R. Smith is no stranger to trouble. Last year, the NBA sharpshooter was arrested after a routine traffic stop in Miami when police discovered a warrant for his arrest.

This stemmed from an incident in May 2011 when he was ticketed for riding a scooter without a license. Smith was supposed to stand trial on July 25 but never showed. After the arrest, he was booked into Miami-Date County Jail and released on bond shortly afterward.

There had been other trouble in the past. J.R. Smith had his license suspended in 2007 after a reckless driving accident left his friend, Andre Bell, dead. Smith has had his license suspended six times in total.

With J.R. Smith suspended, the Knicks will be without the Sixth Man of the Year and one of the team’s best outside shooters. Regardless, the Knicks lead 3-0 and will have a chance to close out the series without Smith.