The NBA star didn't get into too many specifics about the March 21 altercation ... but he did speak generally about the incident during his season-ending interview with media members in Washington on Monday afternoon.

You'll recall, cops began investigating Beal after a fan inside a tunnel at the Amway Center in Orlando ripped the shooting guard over a lost wager following the Wizards' 122-112 loss to the Magic.

"You f***ed me [out of] $1,300," the fan screamed, "you f***!"

Beal then turned to the man and the rest of his group -- and knocked a hat off one of the guys' heads in response. The man later told police Beal had struck him in the head when he swatted the cap. Cops took a report for battery and began investigating.

Beal said Monday that while he understands the frustration of losing money -- he told reporters, "I go to casinos" -- he added that he doesn't want to be chirped over it all.

"I gamble, I understand that," he said. "But, I also understand it's probably a 99 percent chance I'm going to lose."

"I'm not sitting here about to get angry at the dealer or angry at everybody else."

Beal also said, "Nobody wants to lose money. I get it. If you keep it about sports, I'm all for it. But, I think it's when people start getting personal, talking about your family, talking about your character, your integrity towards the game. I think all of that, we can save it. We can really keep those comments to ourselves."