Basketbrawl at James' L.A. debut

Punches from both Lakers, Rockets players, with Rondo allegedly spitting in Paul's face

Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo (No. 9) throws a punch at Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul during the fight in the fourth quarter at Staples Centre.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo (No. 9) throws a punch at Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul during the fight in the fourth quarter at Staples Centre. PHOTOS: REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The Lakers' LeBron James (No. 23) is fouled by Paul during the first half. James ended his home debut as a peacemaker, hauling the Rockets guard away from the brawl.
The Lakers' LeBron James (No. 23) is fouled by Paul during the first half. James ended his home debut as a peacemaker, hauling the Rockets guard away from the brawl. PHOTOS: REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

LOS ANGELES • It was a fist fight that retired boxing great Floyd Mayweather, who was sitting courtside, would have relished being part of.

Except that it took place on a National Basketball Association (NBA) court and not in the ring, and the brawl meant that LeBron James' Staples Centre debut was reduced to undercard status.

The forward finished with 24 points as the Los Angeles Lakers fell 124-115 to the visiting Houston Rockets on Saturday.

But there was only one talking point after a wild melee in the fourth quarter, which saw punches thrown from players on both sides.

The flashpoint started after Lakers guard Brandon Ingram's hard foul on Rockets guard James Harden, who had a game-high 36 points. Ingram was incensed with the referee's decision to call it a foul and shoved Harden as both benches emptied onto the court. Things escalated after Lakers guard Rajon Rondo allegedly spat in Rockets guard Chris Paul's face.

Paul then stuck his finger in Rondo's face and pushed him hard, which led to the pair, who according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowskihave "a lot of history between them", trading blows.

In the ensuing altercation, Ingram charged back into the kerfuffle to sucker punch an unsuspecting Rockets player.

All three were ejected with 4min 13sec left on the clock and the league is sure to come down hard on the three main actors involved, with NBA disciplinary boss Kiki VanDeWeghe in attendance.

Tempers continued to fray afterwards, with the Rockets accusing Rondo of spitting in post-match interviews and on social media.

"I was standing right next to Chris. It was b*******. That's unacceptable. You don't do that to nobody. In sports, on the streets, that's blatant disrespectful right there," said Rockets forward Carmelo Anthony. "The NBA, they got to do what's right. I hope they do what's right."

Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni concurred, adding: "I'm sure some spit was thrown. When you call someone out, it happens."

Harden said: "As a man, the only thing you can do is stand up for yourself."

According to a tweet from Shams Charania, who writes for The Athletic, Rondo is "livid" with Paul's spitting claims, with replays of the incident inconclusive, and his teammates are also backing him.

"I felt like he shouldn't have put his hand in Rondo's face. Because you hit somebody in the face, you know what's going to happen after that," said Lakers guard Lance Stephenson, who helped to break up the fracas.

James, who was another peacemaker, was adamant he "did not see anything" and appeared more keen to talk about how the Lakers' "early struggles were normal" after two defeats in their opening two games.

"I'm not disappointed at all, nobody said it was going to be easy. But that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes," the three-time NBA champion said, with Houston yet to lose a season series against the Lakers since the 2010-11 season.

The most infamous fracas occurred on Nov 19, 2004 when the Indiana Pacers were embroiled in a scuffle with Detroit Pistons players and fans, in an incident known as the "Malice in the Palace".

Ringleader Ron Artest received the heaviest punishment and was suspended for the remainder of the season - 73 regular season and 13 play-off games - with eight other players also getting bans.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 22, 2018, with the headline Basketbrawl at James' L.A. debut. Subscribe