OKLAHOMA CITY — Thunder television play-by-play man Brian Davis has been suspended for Game 1 of the playoff series against Utah on Sunday for a comment he made about star Russell Westbrook during Oklahoma City's regular-season finale against Memphis.

Davis said Westbrook was "out of his cotton-pickin' mind," an exclamation that came after the Oklahoma City guard made an assist in Wednesday's game on his way to setting an NBA record for averaging a triple-double in multiple seasons.

Cotton picking was the primary responsibility for black slaves in the South, so the term can be offensive when used by a white person to describe a black person. Many took to social media to complain about Davis' choice of words. Davis is white and Westbrook is black.

Dan Mahoney, the Thunder's vice-president of broadcasting and corporate communications, said the team considered the comment "inappropriate."

"It is with great remorse and humility that I accept this suspension for the insensitive words I used during Wednesday's broadcast," Davis said in a statement. "While unintentional, I understand and acknowledge the gravity of the situation. I offer my sincere apology and realize that, while I committed a lapse in judgment, such mistakes come with consequences. This is an appropriate consequence for my actions."

Davis also apologized on Facebook.

Mahoney said Matt Pinto, the team's radio play-by-play announcer, will step in for the television broadcast, and the audio for television will be used for radio as a simulcast.

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