Getty Anthony Davis & Dwight Howard defending Deandre Ayton.
It’s early in the season but tensions are already rising for the Los Angeles Lakers. The team was dominated by the Golden State Warriors in the season opener and were blown out 115-105 by the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. During the game, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard had a heated moment that was caught on camera.
The two started arguing on the sideline and the argument eventually got physical when Davis grabbed Howard aggressively. It got so bad that the two had to be separated.
Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard have an altercation on the bench. 😳
It’s normal for non-teammates to get in fights but it’s rare to see teammates fight on the bench. Through two games, the Lakers look like a mess. Team legend Magic Johnson called out Los Angeles for their issues after the altercation.
The @Lakers have a team issue and basketball issue.
He also blasted Howard and Davis for doing something he’s “never seen” before.
Dwight Howard and AD got into a physical altercation on the bench…in my 42 years of being associated with the Lakers organization, I’ve never seen something like that smh
Johnson has been around the sport for a very long time so it’s troubling that he hasn’t seen something like the altercation between Davis and Howard.
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Howard Addresses Incident
Howard signed with the team this offseason but he was on the championship-winning squad from two seasons ago. Davis and he are very familiar with each other but this is the first time we’ve seen them this heated. Howard has always been one of the more passionate players in the NBA and wouldn’t back down to anybody, even his superstar teammates. However, the center revealed that the two are good and give some detail as to why they were heated.
“We squashed it right then and there,” Howard said after the game, via ESPN. “We just had a disagreement about something that was on the floor. We’re both very passionate about winning. We didn’t want to lose this game, so we’re just passionate. We got it out the way. We’re grown men. Things happen. But we are going to squash this little issue between me and him, and that’s my brother, that’s my teammate.”
Davis Says Issue Isn’t Ongoing
Any battle between Davis and Howard, the former is going to win. He’s one of the team’s superstars while Howard is a role player. Though seeing the two big men get physical with each other is certainly concerning, Davis assured the media that the issue has already been resolved.
“Just a pick-and-roll scene,” Davis said. “That was it. All of us are still trying to figure it out on the defensive end. Something happened. I was saying one thing, he was saying another on the scheme and one thing led to another. Like I said, we talked about it and we left it in the locker room at halftime.”
It’s a bad look when a team is struggling and teammates start fighting with each other. A big reason the Lakers won the title two seasons ago was their excellent chemistry. It’s clear early on that the team has major chemistry issues. Obviously, winning cures most problems but the Lakers need to actually start winning.
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