Knicks' Smith says hit to groin 'definitely wasn't anything intentional'
New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith will return from his one-game suspension Friday against the Brooklyn Nets, a suspension Smith believes he never should have served.
Smith insists that he didn't intentionally hit Glen Rice Jr. in the groin area during a three-point loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
"I wasn’t surprised, but it is what it is," Smith said Friday, according to Adam Zagoria of SportsNet New York. "At this stage of my career, with all the suspensions and stuff like that, once I knew I had to make a phone call, something was going to come down from it. It is what it is, you just gotta move on, try to win some games."
Smith has a long history of run-ins with the league (see stack below) and it marked his third suspension as a member of the Knicks.
The NBA Players' Association is appealing the suspension, but Smith says he has yet to hear anything further about the matter.
"I was just trying to clear space to get as close to the basket as I could to get a shot off. It definitely wasn't anything intentional," Smith said.
Smith, who was suspended without pay, is averaging 7.5 points on 38.7 percent shooting in 24.5 minutes per game.