Payton Has Nothing to Say About Brown

After the Lakers’ one-hour practice Saturday and before the team left for Sacramento to play today’s game against the Kings, Gary Payton was asked about his two verbal altercations with Memphis Coach Hubie Brown during and after the Lakers’ 103-95 victory Friday.

Payton made it clear that he did not want to talk about Brown but even his no-comment had attitude.

“I don’t want to talk about nothing,” Payton said with his voice rising as he walked off the court at the team’s HealthSouth training facility in El Segundo.

“Nothing happened, nothing.”

Brown and Payton first got into it in the third quarter after a foul was called on the Grizzlies’ Jason Williams.

Before Payton could shoot his free throws, Brown began complaining to officials and then got into a colorful conversation with the Laker point guard.

Because Payton is known as one of the NBA’s best talkers, not much was made of the incident until the two men ran into each other in the parking area after the game.

According to witnesses, Brown and Payton were nose to nose cursing at each other before Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and others pulled Payton away. No contact was made nor any punches thrown.

“When I asked Gary [about the incident], I couldn’t make out what he said, but he took about five minutes to say what whatever he was saying,” Laker Coach Phil Jackson joked. “He did say there was some cussing going on.

“I have a problem with Hubie Brown getting into it with players. We all remember Zim [New York Yankee bench coach Don Zimmer] in the playoffs against Pedro Martinez; we don’t have to revisit those type of things.”

The Lakers said they expect the NBA to look into the matter, but not until Monday. Jackson said that he doesn’t know what to expect the league to do with Payton, who has been fined at least $40,000 by the NBA this season.

“That obviously is something that I would be concerned about,” Jackson said about the possibility of the NBA’s taking action against Payton.

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Forward Rick Fox did not make the trip to Sacramento because of a broken right thumb suffered in the first quarter against Memphis.

While wearing a plastic splint, Fox tried to catch and shoot before practice, but the pain was too much.

Fox will be sidelined at least a week. If he is unable to play with a more flexible splint, then Fox will be out for three weeks. He would not return until the second round of the playoffs.

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The Lakers’ playoff tickets sold out in 50 minutes Saturday.

TODAY

at Sacramento, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7

Site -- Arco Arena.

Radio -- KLAC (570), KWKW (1330).

Records -- Lakers 54-25, Kings 54-25.

Record vs. Kings -- 1-2.

Update -- Devean George will start in place of Rick Fox but expect Kobe Bryant to spend more time at small forward when the Lakers go with a small lineup. The Kings have lost six of their last nine games, including a 115-91 loss at Staples Center on March 24. The Kings’ Bobby Jackson has missed 25 games because of an abdominal injury, including a 101-96 loss at Phoenix on Friday.