Knicks suspend Marbury

NEW YORK - Stephon Marbury was suspended one game without pay and docked additional salary Friday by the New York Knicks, who say he refused to play in Wednesday's 110-96 loss at Detroit.

Marbury disputed the Knicks' allegation, telling the New York Post that coach Mike D'Antoni never gave the order.

"If you say I got to play, I'm going to play," Marbury said. "If he said I have to play, guess what, I'm going to get on the court and play, period. If I refuse to play, I'm getting suspended. I never told him I'm not going to play. Those words never came out of my mouth. That's insubordination."

Marbury is to sit out the Knicks' home game against Golden State on Saturday and lose close to $200,000 of his approximate $21 million salary.

"A player's central obligation is to provide his professional services when called upon," Knicks president Donnie Walsh said in a statement Friday. "Because he refused the coach's request to play in the team's last game, we had no choice but to impose disciplinary action."

Marbury told the paper he doesn't trust D'Antoni and wanted out.

"We need to separate from the relationship," he said. "The marriage is over. It's a done deal."

Marbury insisted "I'm not going to let them" take his money.

"I didn't create this," he said. "I'm sitting inside the car. I'm not behind the wheel in the driver's seat. I have no control of the wheel of the car, if we're turning or going straight. I'm sitting in the back seat. He's not going to play me because my heart isn't in it, because the way he treated me. That's on him, not me."