The Los Angeles Clippers got the better of the Houston Rockets on Monday night at Staples Center, 113-102, but the battle between Chris Paul and his former team had apparently just begun.
According to multiple reports, members of the Rockets took to the Clippers locker room after the game to confront Austin Rivers and then Blake Griffin.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says that according to his sources, James Harden, Trevor Ariza, and Gerald Green entered the Clippers locker room looking for Austin Rivers, who was on the sideline due to an injury. LAPD were then dispatched to the scene -- not just ordinary Staples Center security -- and while nothing happened that’s somehow not the end of this story.
In true Scooby Doo fashion, Woj reports that the Rockets then sent Clint Capela to the front door of the Clippers locker room while Chris Paul went to a secret back door to the Clippers’ area as he looked to go after Blake Griffin.
Once again, I cannot stress that I am not making this story up.
Via Twitter:
Houston Rockets’ players James Harden, Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green pushed into Clippers locker room post-game looking to confront Austin Rivers, league sources tell ESPN. Security escorted Rockets out before anything turned physical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 16, 2018
LAPD was called into the locker room area. Now hearing Chris Paul stayed out of it, 3 Rockets players were going after Austin Rivers.
— Ashley Brewer (@ESPNAshley) January 16, 2018
Rockets players were clamoring for Blake Griffin too, league sources said. Chris Paul also entered with other Rockers players through a backstory that connects team dressing rooms. https://t.co/BRgyHe1WgL
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 16, 2018
Can confirm wild details from Staples Center: Chris Paul, James Harden, Trevor Ariza, Gerald Green going to Clippers locker room with Austin Rivers, Blake Griffin in their sights through backdoor. Security stops it before it happens (with Capela turned away at front door). Geesh.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) January 16, 2018
Some of this may stem from the general tension between the two teams. Paul was traded to Houston in June for Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, and Sam Dekker among others after spending six seasons with Los Angeles.
There’s also the fact that Mike D’Antoni and Griffin got into it during the game, yapping at each other after Griffin made contact with the Houston coach on the sideline.
Griffin appeared to be pointing at D’Antoni for being out of the box on the sideline, making purposeful contact with him and resulting in double technical fouls.
Here's the play where Blake Griffin went right at D'Antoni on the way up the court, going out of bounds to bump him. D'Antoni complains about it immediately. pic.twitter.com/dwZeRJlxmv
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) January 16, 2018
— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin23) January 16, 2018
Yet the overarching tension between the two teams was already palpable. Paul reportedly took umbrage to how Rivers was treated by his father, coach, and (at the time) GM Doc Rivers.
Then, late in the fourth quarter -- after Griffin had already gotten into it with D’Antoni -- some jawing from Austin Rivers led to an on-court discussion between Ariza and Griffin.
That prompted officials to eject both Griffin and Ariza with just a minute to go:
Ariza & Austin Rivers talking trash, Blake comes to his defense, gets tossed as does Ariza pic.twitter.com/ssXnmnkW0x
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) January 16, 2018
Austin Rivers said that the tension between Paul and Griffin was the thing that led to CP3 looking for a trade to Texas, just as a bit of backstory, so the bad blood and he-said, she-said is long-running.
Still putting on his shoes pic.twitter.com/mj9vS9cwCn
— Daryl MorΞy 🗽🏀 (@dmorey) January 16, 2018
No word yet on the details confirming how far anybody got, although it seems reasonable to expect Adam Silver and the league office should come down with some suspensions for folks. Malice in the Palace was perhaps the greatest modern disgrace for the NBA, and the league tries to keep even the whiff of violence away from their games.
It feels like there’s no way anyone here can get off light in an era where guys are getting suspended from both playoff games and preseason games for taking a teensy little step off the bench during disputes.
Meanwhile, the guys on the set of Inside the NBA had an absolute BLAST with the details (as did of Twitter, to be honest).
"LAPD was called 😂😂" pic.twitter.com/Oy0Gz9A9Co
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) January 16, 2018
The Rockets and the Clippers play again next on Wednesday Feb. 28 in LA.