Bucks' Ivey gets 3-game suspension for hitting Gray

Milwaukee guard Royal Ivey was given a three-game suspension by the NBA for striking Bulls center Aaron Gray in the groin during Monday's game. Ivey will have to sit out the first two games of next season.

The length of the penalty was noteworthy, since the league office rarely docks a player for more than a game or two, unless there's an all-out brawl on the court.

"I'm just glad the league took that kind of approach," Gray said before Wednesday's season finale. "It wasn't a good situation."

The incident took place in the second quarter of Monday's contest at the Bradley Center. No foul was called, but it happened in front of the Bulls' bench and left Gray on the floor in obvious pain for a minute or two. He did return to the game.

On Dec. 28, Gray leveled Ivey with a blind screen near midcourt. But Gray wasn't sure if Monday's punch was meant as payback.

"I didn't even know why he was upset," Gray said. "I wasn't even paying attention to him. I'm on the ground and still really didn't know what happened and the bench is screaming, 'Look at the tape.' Obviously, I was hot the rest of the game."

Gray seizes chance: Aaron Gray received his first start of the regular season against Toronto. Usual starter Joakim Noah traveled to New York on Tuesday with the Bulls' permission because of the death of a close relative.

But Noah was late to Wednesday's game, arriving in the locker room just over an hour before tip-off, prompting the lineup change. Gray then piled up 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first quarter on his way to an impressive 19-point, 22-rebound game.

Love story debuts: "Find Yourself a Dream: The Bob Love Story," a documentary on the life of the Bulls' star forward of the 1970's and the team's current director of community relations affairs will air tonight on WYCC Channel 20. Love overcame a severe stuttering problem as an adult.