Pistons' Knight claims World Peace punched him
Detroit Pistons guard Brandon Knight claimed he was punched by Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace during Sunday's game.
World Peace was hit with a flagrant foul 1 after getting tangled up with Knight during a game the Lakers won 98-97. But Knight suggested the penalty should be more severe.
"The play needs to be reviewed because he definitely threw a punch," Knight told reporters after the game. "It felt like he threw a punch. That's why I reacted the way I did.
"The play was over and he grabbed me around the neck. If someone grabs you around the neck, you're not just going to let that happen. You do what you need to get that person off you."
Play was stopped while officials assessed the situation, and they decided to call a flagrant 1 foul.
"He's a small guy," World Peace said after the game, according to ESPNLosAngeles.com "(Knight) was trying his hardest to keep me off him. He worked hard, man. That kid, I don't know where he's from, I don't know what school he went to, because he was guarding me and I was crashing the boards. He's a tough kid, man. He tried to keep me off the glass and he did a good job. That's all I can say. He's a tough kid, very great. He's a tough point guard or shooting guard or whatever he is."
It was the first flagrant foul of the season for World Peace, who was suspended for seven games last season for an elbow to the head of James Harden, who was then playing for Oklahoma City.
