Hawks suspend Josh Smith one game

Josh Smith will miss Wednesday night's game against the Nets. (AP)

The Hawks suspended forward Josh Smith, their top scorer, for one game for “conduct detrimental to the team,” general manager Danny Ferry said in a statement on Wednesday. Smith, who will miss Wednesday’s game against the Nets, also was fined an undisclosed amount.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Smith was thrown out of practice on Tuesday. Coach Larry Drew acknowledged that there was “an incident in practice.”

“At that particular point, something had to be done,” Drew said. “I met with Danny afterward, and the rest of the staff, we actually slept on it. We all came back in agreement that we had to take the measure that we did. That we would do it, that would be our stand. After tonight’s game, again, we will embrace Josh once again.”

Smith is averaging 16.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The Hawks have lost six of their last seven games and seven of their last nine. Before that skid, they were 19-9 with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

“Clearly I am competitive and was frustrated by our recent losses,” Smith said in a statement. “I understand and respect the team’s actions and just want to get back on the court to do whatever is necessary to help my teammates. I apologize for letting them down and apologize to our fans for not being available for tonight’s game.”

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