Hawks Rookie Flemings Suspended One Game for Elbowing McGowens

The NBA has suspended Atlanta Hawks rookie guard Kingston Flemings for one game without pay after he intentionally elbowed New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens in the head during Saturday's game. Flemings will serve the ban on Monday when Atlanta visits the Indiana Pacers. The incident came in the fourth quarter of New Orleans' 121-99 home win at the Smoothie King Center. Flemings was running back on defence alongside McGowens when he struck him in the head away from the play, sparking an on-court altercation between the teams. Officials reviewed the incident and assessed Flemings a technical foul before ejecting him with 3:04 remaining. The league later ruled the elbow intentional. Flemings, 19, was the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft out of Houston and had been one of Atlanta's brighter spots on a frustrating night, finishing with 12 points, six assists and four steals off the bench. He is averaging 7.1 points, 4.7 assists and 2.9 rebounds across seven games this season. The suspension lands at an awkward time for head coach Quin Snyder, whose rotation is already stretched: Jock Landale is out with a hip strain, Mouhamed Gueye is out with a foot fracture, Henri Veesaar is out with a torn ACL, and Jalen Johnson is questionable with an ankle sprain. Atlanta's depth will be tested in Indiana.