Two teams of the Chinese Basketball Association have been fined after a brawl in last week's league match.

A fight broke out between Shaanxi and Shandong in a game last Friday, which provoked local spectators.

The bad feelings started in the second quarter, when Shaanxi's Liu Jingbin fouled on Shandong's Cheng Zhiming. The two players wrangled each other as players and officials tried to separate them.

The game was suspended for seven minutes after the tumult between the teams spilled into the stands once fans got involved by throwing things at the players.

In the end the Shaanxi side won the game 99-84.

Each team was fined 10,000 yuan, or more than US$1,200 for taking part in the brawl, while Shandong's coach Gong Xiaobin also received a warning from the governing body.

(CRI March 2, 2005)