Hawks’ Smith fined $25,000

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Monday for making obscene gestures to the crowd after being ejected from a game last weekend.

Smith raised both middle fingers as he was about halfway through the tunnel Saturday night at Charlotte, N.C., apparently reacting to heckling.

Smith, upset at being called for an offensive foul, was given a technical foul late in the second quarter.

He continued arguing and was quickly given a second technical and an ejection. Before making the obscene gestures, Smith kicked a pile of towels and jerseys behind the bench, sending them in several directions.

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Denver Nuggets Coach George Karl did the math and it didn’t add up: Denver standout Carmelo Anthony drew a 15-game suspension for his fight, Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett got a one-game penalty for another skirmish.

“Obviously, if you land the punch it’s 14 games,” Karl said Monday. “Throwing one is one [game] and hitting [someone] is 14. That’s the equation I read. I’m just a simple guy. I couldn’t pass calculus.”

Anthony, who returned to the lineup Monday, was suspended for his role in a Dec. 16 brawl with the New York Knicks. Garnett was suspended one game for swinging at Detroit’s Antonio McDyess last Friday.

“I just thought it was kind of unique that everything that J.R. and Melo were blamed for, Kevin Garnett did in the same incident,” said Karl, referring to the Nuggets’ J.R. Smith, who was suspended 10 games for the December brawl. “He escalated a fight, he threw a punch, he threw a ball and gets one game. It was kind of a unique interpretation. I know it’s a hard job, but no, it doesn’t feel like it was a fair evaluation.”

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New Jersey Nets forward Richard Jefferson will be sidelined indefinitely after undergoing surgery on his right ankle.

The team has no timetable for his return, but Jefferson is expected to be sidelined at least six weeks.

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Charlotte Bobcats center Primoz Brezec has a bulging disk in his lower back and will miss seven to 10 days, the team said.

Brezec, averaging 6.3 points and 3.8 rebounds, started 17 straight games before sitting out consecutive wins over Atlanta last Friday and Saturday after complaining of back spasms.