SAN ANTONIO _ Robin Lopez's "passion" play will not cost him a game.
As first reported by the Tribune, the NBA decided not to suspend the Bulls center for his flagrant-2 foul against the Hornets on Friday night in Charlotte, N.C.
With 38 seconds to play, Hornets Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller both approached Lopez to set screens. Lopez elbowed Williams and extended a forearm into Zeller, who flopped like a striker in the World Cup.
"Basketball is a passionate game," Lopez said after getting ejected. "I play with passion."
Lopez's status wasn't known until after Fred Hoiberg met with a reporter Saturday, but the Bulls coach defended Lopez as "a world-class teammate, a great kid. He's a competitor and it's too bad what happened there at the end. We'll have his back."
