George Karl: Metta World Peace’s errant elbow ‘premeditated’

DENVER--As if George Karl needed another reason to loathe the Lakers.

The self-styled Lakers hater watched video of Metta World Peace smacking Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried in the mouth Monday and came away with a fairly straightforward review: two thumbs down.

“I saw it on film and I thought it was — whatever the word is — premeditated,” Karl said Friday about a play toward the end of the third quarter in which no foul was called.

The NBA seemed to agree, retroactively assessing World Peace a flagrant 2 foul on Thursday. If the league office needed more evidence, it could always check with Faried.

“I still have a scar in my mouth,” Faried said. “When I eat, it still burns.”

Faried appeared surprised when informed that World Peace told reporters Thursday he didn’t want to complain about “guys coming up my back and smashing me.”

“Uh, I got hit with an elbow in the mouth,” Faried said dryly. “I guess I was too aggressive going for the rebound at the end of the quarter and I got what was coming to me, people would say. I don’t know.”

World Peace has five flagrant foul points, meaning one more flagrant infraction would trigger a suspension.

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