NBA-National Basketball Association roundup

Oct 9 (The Sports Xchange) - Atlanta Hawks guard/forward Thabo Sefolosha was found not guilty on Friday in a case stemming from a police incident outside a New York City nightclub in April. Sefolosha, 31, was arrested and charged on April 8 with obstructing governmental administration, refusing to clear the area of a crime scene, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct following an argument that resulted in the stabbing of Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland. A Manhattan jury deliberated for about an hour and found Sefolosha not guilty of all charges. "They were on the side of truth and justice today. ... I'm just happy all this is over now and I can put this behind me, knowing my name has been cleared," Sefolosha told reporters. Swiss-born Sefolosha, who wiped his eyes with a tissue after the verdict was announced, could consider filing a civil suit against the New York Police Department, but "I haven't made a decision on that." Sefolosha sustained a season-ending fibula fracture during his arrest and blamed the NYPD for his injury. TMZ had published a video that it said showed five officers surrounding Sefolosha at the scene and trying to take hold of him. The video appeared to show one officer grabbing Sefolosha by the back of the neck before bringing him down to the ground. Copeland suffered a knife wound to his left elbow and abdomen in the incident outside the nightclub. He also had a fractured elbow that required surgery. Sefolosha averaged 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists last season before being sidelined by the injury. Sefolosha, who still isn't fully healed from his surgery, continues to undergo rehab as the NBA season starts Oct. 27. - - - Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard said he played with a torn MCL and meniscus in last season's playoffs. Howard, appearing Thursday on Houston SportsRadio 610, said he played through the injuries during the five-game series loss in the Western Conference finals to the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Howard hurt the knee in the first quarter of Game One of the series and was questionable for Game Two with what was then called a sprained knee. In the second game, he played 40 minutes, finishing with 19 points and 17 rebounds. He played in the remaining three games of the conference finals, averaging 14.4 points and 14.4 rebounds for the series. According to an ESPN source, team doctors said he did not need offseason surgery because the tears weren't that severe. - - - Utah Jazz forward Trevor Booker has been suspended one game for striking Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert with an open hand to the head. Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations, announced the punishment Friday. The incident, for which Booker was assessed two technical fouls and ejected, occurred with 7:14 remaining in the third quarter of Utah's 117-114 preseason win over the Lakers on Tuesday in Honolulu. Booker's suspension without pay will begin with the first game of the 2015-16 regular season for which he is eligible and physically able to play. (Editing by Andrew Both)