Chris Paul, Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo have been ejected after throwing blows in L.A.
Tonight was the first meeting of four between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers and things definitely ended with a bang in the Rockets 124-115 win over the now 0-2 Lakers.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, things got physical between multiple players on the court between the two clubs. After a foul called on Brandon Ingram in the fourth, he approached one of the officiating crew rather aggressively. Once things appeared to have cooled down, Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo began to exchange words, resulting in this full-on brawl.
Chris Paul Vs. Rajon Rondo: Street Fighter Edition
Prior to the fight ensuing, Rajon and Paul could be seen posturing against one another in what appeared to be a competitive exchange of words. It wasn’t until Paul decided to reach up and put his finger in Rondo’s face that things got unnecessarily physical. Rondo pushed Paul back and throw a left hook that clearly connected before several members of both teams attempted to stop the altercation.
Brandon Ingram still fuming from his confrontation with the officiating crew, ran into the midst of the scuffle throwing multiple missing blows of his own. Lebron James was able to escape the altercation with Paul on his hip while Carmelo Anthony and Lance Stephenson separated teammates allowing the fight to dissipate.
The officiating team appropriately ejected Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo, and Chris Paul from the game which allowed an on-fire James Harden to put the Lakers to bed late in the fourth quarter.
Chris Paul Vs. Rajon Rondo: Game Statistics
In 30 minutes of game action, Rajon Rondo was able to knock in 13 points on 6-8 shooting from the field alongside 10 assists and seven rebounds. As for Chris Paul, he was able to log 28 points on 9-17 shooting and gathered seven rebounds of his own in conjunction with 10 assists.
Rajon Rondo might have won the fight, which will result in a suspension come tomorrow, but Chris Paul won the on-court battle. Paul and Harden combined for 64 points in their victory against the Lakers and will see them again December 13th. Could we be witnessing the next biggest NBA rivalry unfold right before our eyes?
As someone who’s known for physical altercations and was both a prominent Houston Rocket and LA Laker, Ron Artest is somewhere rubbing his hands together and evil laughing in pure bliss.
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