Knicks order Marbury away

Team's ban includes practices, games

Stephon Marbury was ordered to stay away from the New York Knicks on Monday while the team looks for a solution to the latest controversy surrounding its point guard.

"After meeting with Stephon and his representative this afternoon, we have directed Stephon not to participate in practice or attend games until further notice," Knicks president Donnie Walsh said in a statement. "We want to continue to meet with him to discuss a long-term resolution."

Marbury's future with the Knicks was "not resolved" during his meeting with Walsh, the players' association attorney representing him said.

Marbury arrived at the team's practice facility at 2:25 p.m. and met with Walsh for about 20 minutes. His representative, Hal Biagas, walked out of the building shortly after 3 p.m. and into the car where Marbury was waiting.

"[We'll] try to keep this in-house, and so no comment at this time," Biagas said. "We'll keep you posted if things happen."

Walsh suspended Marbury for one game without pay and docked him an additional game's salary last week after the Knicks said the point guard refused coach Mike D'Antoni's request to play in a loss to the Detroit Pistonson on Wednesday.

Biagas wouldn't say if Marbury, who was penalized nearly $400,000, was reinstated or if there had been any progress toward a buyout.

"We had a conversation," he said.

Marbury wants out of New York, and he lashed out at teammates and coach Mike D'Antoni in Monday's New York Post.

"I sat there for three weeks and didn't say one word," Marbury told The Post. "I didn't hear one of my teammates say, 'Why isn't Stephon Marbury playing? This is a good system for him, even to play with the second unit and bring more firepower.'

"When things got bad and then worse, guys like Quentin Richardson say, 'I don't consider him a teammate. He let his teammates out to dry.' He didn't care I was his teammate when I was banished. They left me out for dead. It's like we're in a foxhole and I'm facing the other way. If I got shot in the head, at least you want to get shot by the enemy. I got shot in the head by my own guys in my foxhole. And they didn't even give me an honorable death."

Knicks players have grown tired of the repeated controversies caused by Marbury, especially because they would like more focus on their improved play. New York (8-8) ended November at .500 or better for the first time since going 7-6 in 2004.

MORE NOTES

T'WOLVES LOSE PLAYER: Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Corey Brewer will miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The defensive specialist was injured in Saturday's loss to the Denver Nuggets.

MONDAY'S GAMES

BOBCATS 100, TIMBERWOLVES 90: Jason Richardson scored 25 points in another strong performance after arthroscopic knee surgery, and the Bobcats beat error-prone Minnesota in Charlotte.

It was the third straight game of at least 21 points for Richardson since his return after sitting out seven contests because of the exploratory surgery on his right knee. He led an efficient offense that included a season-high 24 points from Emeka Okafor and 14 assists and just one turnover for Raymond Felton.

CELTICS 107, MAGIC 88: Paul Pierce scored 17 of his 24 points in the third quarter to lead host Boston to its ninth straight win.

Ray Allen added 21 points, Rajon Rondo had 16 points with 12 assists and Kevin Garnett scored 15 points for the Celtics (17-2) in a win over a top Eastern Conference rival.

LATE SUNDAY

LAKERS 112, RAPTORS 99: Pau Gasol had 24 points and nine rebounds, Kobe Bryant had 23 points and seven assists before sitting out the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles improved its league-best record to 14-1.

Bryant has reached 15 points shy of the 22,000-point mark faster than any other player. Had he done it, he would have beaten Wilt Chamberlain to that total by one day, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.