Report: Tony Allen's suspension stemmed from confrontation with Nick Calathes

The Memphis Grizzlies suffered a dispiriting loss to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, and while Zach Randolph's absence may have been the chief cause, it certainly didn't help that the Grizzlies' best perimeter defender was in street clothes. 

When the team announced that Tony Allen would be suspended for the game for violating team policy, head coach Dave Joerger refused to elaborate on the reason, saying only that it was an isolated incident.

But according to a follow-up report from Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the suspension was related to a confrontation Allen had in Tuesday's practice with teammate Nick Calathes. 

ESPN's Marc Stein later reported that said confrontation, while heated, never became physical. Stein added that Allen's suspension was largely the result of his behavior in the aftermath, when he reportedly waved off coaches' attempts to calm him down. No additional context for the altercation was revealed.  

Allen was reportedly on the team’s flight to Houston after the Jazz game, and is expected to return Wednesday for the team's marquee clash with the hard-charging Rockets, who now sit just a game-and-a-half back of the Grizzlies for second place in the Western Conference. 

Allen is averaging 8.1 points, four rebounds and 1.9 steals in 25.3 minutes per game this season, and the Grizzlies are a stunning 10.8 points per 100 possessions better overall (and 8.1 on defense alone) when he's on the floor.