The NBA has downgraded Ron Artest's flagrant foul against Pau Gasol in Friday night's Los Angeles-Houston game from a flagrant-2 to a flagrant-1.

The downgrade means that Artest has just one flagrant foul point heading into Sunday's Game 4, rather than two.

"The Artest play did not fit the criteria of a flagrant-2 -- unnecessary and excessive. It was unnecessary, but certainly not excessive," NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said.