JR Smith did not play in Cleveland's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers last night and today it was revealed why. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin, JR was suspended for one game for throwing a bowl of soup at Cavs assistant coach Damon Jones.
Jones, who played for the Cavs from 2005-08, has been with the Cavs organization since 2014 when he started out as an assistant coach with the Canton Charge, Cleveland's G League affiliate, before making his way onto Tyronn Lue's staff, according to ESPN.
It's unclear exactly what set JR off, but he will reportedly return to practice on Friday and is expected to be back in the starting lineup for Cleveland's next game on Saturday against the Denver Nuggets. Rodney Hood started in place of Smith last night, scoring 11 points on 5-for-14 shooting with five rebounds and five assists.
In 59 games this season Smith is averaging just 8.3 points per game which is the lowest since his second season in the league when he averaged 7.7 a night. The Cavs are currently sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 36-25 record.