Rocket banned for pushing ref

NEW YORK— Houston Rockets forward Montrezl Harrell has been suspended five games without pay in the NBA Development League for pushing a referee to the floor during an altercation. It happened right after Bakersfield completed a 119-115 victory over Rio Grande, where Harrell is on assignment from the Rockets. The National Basketball Referees Association had called for a multiplegame suspension, saying Harrell committed “deliberate assault and battery” against the referee.