NBA Reduces Suspensions for Two Players

(NewsCore) - The NBA announced Friday it was reducing suspensions for Lakers center Andrew Bynum and Pistons power forward Charlie Villanueva by one game.

Both players were facing five-game, season-opening bans for incidents that occurred last season, but the league opted to lessen the bans "due to the shortened 2011-12 season."

Bynum was hit with a five-game suspension for committing a flagrant foul on then-Mavericks guard J.J. Barea in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

The Lakers seven-footer was ejected in the fourth quarter of the series-clinching 122-86 win by Dallas after he threw his forearm into Barea's chest as the six-foot-tall guard was airborne on a drive to the basket. Barea landed hard on his left side but was not seriously hurt on the play.

Bynum, who apologized after seeing replays of the incident, will be eligible to take the court for the Lakers on Dec. 31 when they host the Nuggets.

Villanueva was suspended following an on-court altercation with Cavaliers center Ryan Hollins in the second-to-last game of the regular season. The Pistons' forward escalated the incident by following Hollins into the Cavs' locker room where he had to be physically restrained.

Villanueva served one game of the suspension during Detroit's regular season finale last April, meaning he will be eligible to play after the Pistons' first three games of the 2011-12 season.