NBA star Matt Barnes accused of choking woman

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Sacramento Kings forward Matt Barnes allegedly choked a woman inside the Avenue nightclub in the Chelsea section of Manhattan early Monday morning, reported the NY Post.

Citing law enforcement sources, the Post said that Barnes was partying with friends including teammate DeMarcus Cousins when Barnes may have accidentally bumped into a woman's backside. She responded by slapping him. Barnes then choked the 26-year-old woman, according to the Post.

Another man and woman intervened in the melee that ensued and someone reportedly threw a bottle.

According to TMZ.com, the NYPD received a 911 call to the club after midnight, reporting a man assaulting two women and another man. 

Barnes told TMZ he was the one who was attacked and was simply defending himself.

The NBA star  was knocked to the ground in the melee and one of the men began to choke him. 

"We're told Barnes got physical in an effort to protect himself. Teammate Demarcus Cousins also jumped in to defend Barnes. In footage shot moments after the fight, Cousins references Barnes getting choked," reported TMZ.

Barnes was in town to take on the Knicks the evening before. The Kings lost to New York 106-98.

He took to Instagram to defend himself writing: "There's always two sides to every story... The side the media consistently tries tries to paint of me... and what actually happened. Don't believe everything your read."

The NYPD is investigating.

Last year, Barnes had a run-in with former Knicks coach Derek Fisher.

The New York Post, citing an anonymous source, reported that the altercation was because Fisher was dating Barnes' estranged wife. Fisher had filed for divorce from his wife, Candace in 2015.