The penalty for the drunk driving arrest will cost the Timberwolves' big man nearly $300,000 in lost wages. http://0rz.tw/lvb5s Timberwolves basketball player Al Jefferson was arrested and booked into jail early this morning for allegedly driving drunk, according to jail records, and the Wolves immediately responded by suspending their leading scorer for two games. Jefferson was arrested by the State Patrol at 1:08 a.m., a little more than three hours after the Wolves' 110-91 loss to Portland at Target Center, and was brought to the Hennepin County Jail shorty after 2 a.m., according to the State Patrol and jail records. He was released at 3:19 a.m. Jefferson was arrested on a charge of fourth degree driving while impaired, said State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske. "We are disappointed that Al used poor judgment last night. Thankfully, nobody was injured," David Kahn, the team's president for basketball operations, said in a statement. "We believe it is appropriate for Al to be suspended for the next two games without pay." That's a penalty that will cost Jefferson, the Wolves' highest-paid player who earns $12 million in the second season of a five-year, $65 million contract, roughly $293,000 in lost wages. Jefferson, 25, initially was pulled over for speeding as he left downtown Minneapolis, heading west on 394. He was clocked going 56 mph in a 40-mph zone, Roeske said. The trooper also observed the vehicle drifting to left and the driver's side tires going onto the fog line, Roeske said. Then the vehicle changed to the center lane without signaling. The car was stopped on 394 near Dunwoody Blvd. Roeske said a field sobriety test led to Jefferson's arrest. A blood test was administered and the results are pending a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension analysis, Roeske said. Jefferson is scheduled for a court appearance on April 23, nine days after the Wolves' final game. "Having spoken to Al, I can assure everybody associated with our franchise that Al understands this is a matter of utmost seriousness," Kahn's statement said. "He feels terrible about what occurred and I believe him when he says he will learn from his mistake." Jefferson, a 6-10 forward, has been the team's leading scorer for the past three seasons, and averages 17.1 points per game this year. He scored a team-high 19 points in the Wolves' loss Saturday. The Wolves, 14-47 after losing for the ninth time in 10 games Saturday, do not play again until Wednesday night in Dallas. Jefferson will also miss Saturday's home game against Houston, but would return for next Monday's home game against Dallas. A fourth degree DWI is charged if there are no aggravating factors. That means no prior DWI or DWI related license revocations. Additionally, the driver cannot have a blood alcohol concentration in excess of twice the legal limit (.20) or have refused to take a test to determine that blood alcohol content. A fourth degree DWI offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Jefferson, drafted 15th by the Boston Celtics in the 2004 NBA draft after turning pro straight out of Prentiss (Miss.) High School, was the most prominent of the five players the Wolves received in the trade of Kevin Garnett to Boston in 2007. A career 15.2-point-per-game scorer, Jefferson has averaged 20.4 points with the Wolves and was returning this season from knee surgery that caused him to miss the final two months of the 2008-09 season. The six-year veteran has been in a scoring slump recently. Though he's scored 20 or more points 24 times this season, he has not reached that level in the team's last 10 games. --

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