Houston newcomer Ron Artest tries to maneuver between Boston's Kevin Garnett, left, and Bill Walker in an exhibition game Saturday.

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OAKLAND, Calif. — Monta Ellis knew he was in trouble after he seriously injured his ankle in a moped accident and then lied to the Golden State Warriors about it this summer.

The high-scoring guard probably never imagined that trouble would cost him about $3 million — and neither did his coach or the man who drafted him.

Warriors president Robert Rowell suspended Ellis for 30 games without pay Saturday for violating his lucrative new contract, a decision that apparently went against the wishes of top basketball executive Chris Mullin and coach Don Nelson.

Ellis, who agreed to a six-year deal worth $66 million in July, severely sprained his ankle in a low-speed crash in late August. The 22-year-old then compounded his mistake by telling the Warriors he hurt himself playing pickup ball, only coming clean about the accident several days later.

Owner Chris Cohan's decision to suspend Ellis seems to expose a rift between the Warriors' top brass and the Mullin-Nelson team, which directed Golden State to its first playoff berth in 13 seasons in 2007, followed by 48 victories last season.

When the Warriors opened training camp last month, both Mullin and Nelson were leaning toward allowing Ellis to return without punishment. Cohan and Rowell instead decided to risk alienating the player expected to be the centerpiece of Nelson's up-tempo offense after Baron Davis' defection to the Los Angeles Clippers.

"Chris Mullin made it perfectly clear to both Mr. Cohan and myself that he didn't think this was a big deal at the beginning, and we happen to think it's a very big deal," Rowell said.

The Warriors counted four preseason games in the suspension's length, which means Ellis can't return to the club until after Golden State's 26th regular-season game on Dec. 17.

Mullin and Nelson both thought the risks of suspending Ellis outweighed the minor financial benefit.

"That's really not my territory," Nelson said with uncharacteristic brevity Saturday when asked about the decision. "I'm coaching the team, and that's it. You could talk to the other parties about that if you'd like."

● Nuggets 77, Suns 72: In Palm Springs, Calif., Phoenix lost in an exhibition game held outdoors at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

● Celtics 90, Rockets 89: In Manchester, N.H., Gabe Pruitt banked in a shot with 6.6 seconds left to lift NBA champion Boston to the victory.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Glen Davis had 12 points, Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe added 10 each, and Pruitt had eight.

Yao Ming paced Houston with 16 points.

● Pistons 111, Bucks 99: In Milwaukee, Arron Afflalo scored 28 points, and Rodney Stuckey added 15 to help Detroit (4-0) remain perfect in the preseason.

The Pistons' Chauncey Billups limped off with an ankle injury with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter. The team said he "tweaked" his ankle.

● Warriors 122, Thunder 102: In Oakland, Calif., Marco Belinelli had 22 points and six assists, and Al Harrington added 16 points and nine rebounds in a win over Oklahoma City.