Artest Gets $10,000 Fine for Gesture

Ron Artest of the Indiana Pacers was fined $10,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for making an obscene gesture during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit.

Artest made the gesture late in the Pacers’ 72-67 loss to the Pistons on Monday night.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is tonight at Auburn Hills, Mich.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar doesn’t believe the Lakers’ Karl Malone will surpass his NBA career scoring record.

Sitting out half this season because of an injury was a setback for Malone’s chances of breaking the mark of 38,387 points, Abdul-Jabbar said in an interview at the NBA Store in New York.

“At this time of his life, it’s tougher at this end of it than it was at the beginning to overcome injury and come back and be into the flow of the game,” Abdul-Jabbar said.

Malone, 40, has 36,928 points in his career, 1,459 behind Abdul-Jabbar, a Hall of Fame center who won six NBA championships, five with the Lakers.

Malone, who has said he might retire after the season, would have to average 18 points a game without sitting out any next season to eclipse Abdul-Jabbar.