Hornets forward James Posey will not play on the team's three-game road trip because of a sprained left elbow.

Posey injured the elbow in last Friday night's loss to the Knicks, a game in which he also earned a one-game suspension for throwing the ball at a referee.

New Orleans is already without center Tyson Chandler and sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic.

James Posey of the New Orleans Hornets has been suspended one game without pay for throwing a ball at a game official, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 5:46 remaining in the fourth quarter of the New York Knicks 103-93 victory over the Hornets at Madison Square Garden on Friday, March 27.

Posey will serve his suspension tonight when the Hornets host the San Antonio Spurs at the New Orleans Arena.

Hornets forward James Posey was ejected from Friday night's loss to the Knicks after throwing the ball at referee Gary Zielinski in the fourth quarter.

Posey was called for a foul on an attempted rebound. He grabbed the ball and fired it at Zielinski, hitting him in the right foot.

Zielinski signaled a technical foul and threw Posey out of the game.

Posey called it "a bounce pass that hit his foot that came back to me."

"It goes on a lot at games, guys giving the ball back to the ref, and like I said, if I was to throw it at him, I think I've got better aim than that," Posey said. "It was a bounce pass to him. Unfortunately, he made the call and I guess he had his hands in the air, so that's why he wasn't ready."

Knicks guard Nate Robinson could receive a suspension from the NBA after he shoved referee Ken Mauer out of the way during an altercation with Chris Paul on Friday night.

The incident took place in the fourth quarter, with both Robinson and Paul drawing technicals fouls.

New York hung on for a home win, but coach Mike D'Antoni realized that Robinson went over the line.

"When you're short and you're a normal person, he has to have some thing extra sometimes to be in the NBA," D'Antoni said. "He goes over the line. He knows that. We talk about it. He apologizes. But it's hard to say to tone it down. It's also something he has to learn to be able to control. He's trying."

Hornets center Tyson Chandler is expected to miss the next 1 to 2 weeks of action because of a lingering ankle injury.

Chandler will have his inflamed right ankle immobilized, and will miss his fifth consecutive game on Friday night.

He is expected to return before the Hornets end the regular season on April 15 against the Spurs.

The Hornets are cautiously approaching the injuries to center Tyson Chandler (ankle) and forward Peja Stojakovic (back) as they enter the stretch run.

Stojakovic missed his tenth straight game on Sunday night, while Chandler missed his third consecutive contest.

"They're still not there yet," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "In an effort to get them as healthy as possible for the final run, instead of trying to risk one game -- and all of a sudden you get a setback where they're gone for another week or two -- it's just not worth it right now. Hopefully, we can continue to hold our head above water and get ready for Wednesday."

New Orleans will face off against Denver on Wednesday night.

Chris Paul has been as excellent as ever this season, but hasn't been mentioned in the MVP race like he was during the 2007-08 season due to the Hornets record.

Paul said he's not personally disappointed in his absence among the MVP candidates.

"I feel like I get my fair share of notoriety," he said. "We're not one of those teams that's at the top of the conference standings like we were last year, I guess. Maybe it's a good thing. Hopefully this year we'll come to the playoffs and be a team that makes a lot of noise.

"I mean, last year was unbelievable being in the MVP race. It was a lot of fun, all the hoopla about it. But this year, I feel like I'm having a better year this year than last year. I feel I'm shooting the ball at a higher percentage and stuff like that."

The Hornets' ticket sales have been strong enough this season that they will not need financial inducements from the State of Louisiana.

The state incentives could have run as high as $6.8 million if the Hornets had consistently played to crowds of less than 80 percent capacity.

"The partnership was designed so we could get the fans engaged and if they did not, we would have a fallback with the state," team president Hugh Weber said. "The good news is that we're not going to be put in that position this year. So it speaks to the fans, but also it speaks to the partnership and how it was thought through."

Dwyane Wade pushed the Heat past the Bulls in an epic double-overtime battle at American Airlines Arena on Monday night.

- Atlanta 89, New Orleans 79

Team FIC Differential: Hawks +17.0, Hornets -17.0

The Hawks (36-28) rebounded from a rough first quarter to beat the Hornets (39-23) on Monday night. Joe Johnson scored 30 points on 11-for-21 shooting, Josh Smith posted 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Zaza Pachulia added 7 points and 7 boards off the bench. Both teams hit 40% of their shots from the field, but Atlanta attempted twelve more foul shots than New Orleans. Chris Paul had 24 points and 10 assists, David West tallied 16 points and 20 rebounds, and Rasual Butler scored 18 points on 7-for-16 shooting in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Joe Johnson, Atlanta ? 17.3

Chris Paul, New Orleans ? 16.0

David West, New Orleans ? 14.5

Josh Smith, Atlanta ? 14.3

- Detroit 98, Orlando 94

Team FIC Differential: Pistons +9.7, Magic -9.7

The Pistons (32-30) won a hard fought game against the Magic (46-17) at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Richard Hamilton led with 29 points and 14 assists, Antonio McDyess tallied 13 points and 18 rebounds, and Tayshaun Prince turned in 20 points and 6 boards. Detroit turned the ball over just seven times, while forcing Orlando to commit fifteen miscues. Dwight Howard excelled with 27 points and 14 rebounds, Rashard Lewis posted 21 points and 6 boards, and rookie Courtney Lee scored 10 points on 3-for-5 shooting in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 26.4

Antonio McDyess, Detroit ? 20.6

Richard Hamilton, Detroit ? 19.4

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 10.3

- Miami 130, Chicago 127 (2OT)

Team FIC Differential: Heat +17.2, Bulls -17.2

Dwyane Wade made a three-pointer at the end of the second overtime to push the Heat (34-29) past the Bulls (29-35) in a thrilling game. Michael Beasley had 18 points and 7 rebounds, Mario Chalmers posted 17 points and 5 assists, and Wade starred with 48 points, 12 dimes and 6 boards in the win. Chicago outrebounded Miami by ten, but turned the ball over twenty-three times. Ben Gordon scored 43 points on 14-for-23 shooting, John Salmons tallied 29 points and 8 rebounds, and Derrick Rose contributed 23 points and 9 boards for the Bulls.

Game FIC Scores

Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 44.3

Ben Gordon, Chicago ? 24.3

Mario Chalmers, Miami ? 17.5

Joakim Noah, Chicago ? 15.8

- Washington 110, Minnesota 99

Team FIC Differential: Wizards +23.2, Timberwolves -23.2

The Wizards (15-49) narrowly outscored the Timberwolves (18-45) in every quarter on Monday night at the Target Center. Caron Butler starred with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, Antawn Jamison tallied 26 points on 9-for-19 shooting, and Dominic McGuire put up 10 points and 7 boards in the win. Washington hit 52% of their shots and attempted twelve more foul shots than Minnesota. Sebastian Telfair had 18 points and 5 assists, Kevin Love posted 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Mike Miller chipped in 16 points, 9 boards and 5 dimes for the struggling Timberwolves.

Game FIC Scores

Caron Butler, Washington ? 23.5

Mike Miller, Minnesota ? 17.6

Darius Songaila, Washington ? 16.8

Kevin Love, Minnesota ? 14.9

- Houston 97, Denver 95

Team FIC Differential: Rockets +9.6, Nuggets -9.6

The Nuggets (40-25) used a strong fourth quarter to get back in the game, but ultimately fell short against the Rockets (42-23). Ron Artest led with 22 points and 6 rebounds, Yao Ming tallied 15 points and 7 boards, and Luis Scola turned in 4 points and 15 rebounds in the win. Houston outrebounded Denver by four, and held the Nuggets to 38% shooting. Chauncey Billups had 28 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Carmelo Anthony posted 21 points and 7 boards, and Nene added 10 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Chauncey Billups, Denver ? 17.9

Ron Artest, Houston ? 15.0

Shane Battier, Houston ? 11.8

J.R. Smith, Denver ? 8.5

- Portland 111, L.A. Lakers 94

Team FIC Differential: Portland +27.2, Lakers -27.2

The Blazers (40-23) jumped out to an early lead through the first three quarters and held on to knock off the Lakers (50-13) on Monday night. Brandon Roy led with 27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, LaMarcus Aldridge posted 16 points and 13 boards, and Travis Outlaw scored 22 points on 6-for-11 shooting off the bench. Portland outrebounded Los Angeles by eight, and attempted twelve more free throws. Kobe Bryant had a team-high 26 points, Pau Gasol tallied 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Jordan Farmar put up 12 points and 4 assists in a reserve role.

Game FIC Scores

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles ? 20.3

Joel Przybilla, Portland ? 18.6

Brandon Roy, Portland ? 18.4

D.J. Mbenga, Los Angeles ? 13.0

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Erick Dampier was undercut while in the air by James Posey and landed on his back and elbow.

"I thought it was a dirty play," Dampier said.