NBA playoffs: Jones given flagrant-1 for trip of Kobe

DENVER — A day later, the NBA blew the whistle on Dahntay Jones for tripping Kobe Bryant.

The league assessed Denver's defensive specialist a flagrant-1 foul for sending the Lakers' star sprawling through the lane with a trip late in the third quarter of Monday night's game, something Bennett Salvatore's officiating crew missed.

Jones has three flagrant-foul points in the playoffs; one more and he's suspended for a game.

Also Tuesday, the league office downgraded Los Angeles center Andrew Bynum's flagrant-1 foul against Chris Andersen to a personal foul, and fined Lakers coach Phil Jackson $25,000 and the team the same amount for his public criticisms of the referees following Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

Jackson was angry with the free throw discrepancy — Denver's 49 attempts were 14 more than the Lakers — and he accused Jones of a dirty play for tripping Bryant during a rant about the officiating following Denver's 120-101 win that evened the series.

Asked if he felt Jones went out of his way to trip Bryant, Jackson replied: "Yes. It's not the first time it's happened in this series."

Bryant kept things light when asked if Jones tried to trip him, deadpanning: "I just fell on my face for no reason. I'm a klutz."

Bryant said Tuesday his opinion of Jones hasn't changed: "It hasn't at all. He's a good player."

Bryant had beaten Jones cutting to the basket when Jones stuck out his right foot.

Jones called it an accident, an instinctive move that lacked any malice or even forethought.

"It wasn't intentional," said Jones, who was at a loss to explain his actions.

"I can't. I was just playing basketball. We got tangled up."

Nuggets coach George Karl went to the film room to watch the play after the game.

"It was a weird reaction by Dahntay," Karl said. "I don't think it was premeditated and not in any context other then he got off balance, Kobe back-doored him, he looked like he slipped a little bit and it looked like he kicked out."

Jones had no explanation for extending his leg.

"Every movement that I have out there is not something I can explain. I'm just playing basketball, just reacting," Jones said. "I think he cut, so I guess I was trying to get my upper body position back there and we got tangled up."