Kings' Matt Barnes turns himself in, released over N.Y. club incident

Sacramento Kings forward Matt Barnes surrendered and was later released by New York City police Wednesday in a case stemming from an incident at a nightclub in December.

Barnes has been charged with third degree assault, a misdemeanor, after police said he was involved in an altercation at Avenue, a bar in Chelsea.

"He was issued a ticket," attorney Alex Spiro said. "We deny the allegations and will answer them in court."

A related civil suit has been filed against Barnes and teammate DeMarcus Cousins in a New York District Court by two plaintiffs, Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell.

The lawsuit alleges that Barnes grabbed Besiso by her neck and began choking her at approximately 3 a.m. after a fight broke out in the VIP section of the club.

Cousins is alleged to have punched Powell in the face after Powell had come to help Besiso, while Barnes is alleged to have elbowed Besiso in the face, knocking her unconscious.

Cousins was cleared of any wrongdoing and will not face charges following an NYPD investigation that concluded last week.

Barnes played 29 minutes and scored five points during the Kings' loss in Houston on Tuesday night before flying to New York. He is expected to rejoin the team for Friday's home game against the Phoenix Suns.