Things got heated late in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s Clippers-Rockets game, which also happened to be Chris Paul’s first game back at Staples Center against the Clippers as a member of the Rockets.
With 1:03 remaining in the game, Clippers star Blake Griffin was ejected after having words with Houston’s Trevor Ariza. It appears that Griffin was defending teammate Austin Rivers, who was in a suit on the bench (out with an ankle injury).
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
And after the game, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Rockets players pushed their way into the Clippers’ locker room and training room, looking to confront Rivers and Griffin. Paul was reportedly one of the Rockets players to enter through a backdoor connecting the teams’ dressing rooms, and Rockets big man Clint Capela was reportedly knocking on the Clippers’ locker room door.
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
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
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/953155882145034240
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/953162234733117441
I'm hearing they came into the Clippers training room. It was bad. https://t.co/4CmoGN57Ka
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) January 16, 2018
TNT’s Rosalyn Gold-Onwude spoke with the Rockets’ players after the game, who said they didn’t like the Clippers’ attitude and rallied around Paul.
3/3 I spoke w member of Rockets who said "we didn't like their attitude. We are together. We'll see them 2 more times. We'll remember that".
And added they definitely rallied around Chris Paul to have his back.— Ros Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) January 16, 2018
Gold-Onwude also mentioned a “police presence” and that made Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal laugh very hard.
UPDATE: Some tweets following the postgame drama.
— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin23) January 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/AustinRivers25/status/953185040501940225
It’s a different culture in LA. No more soft shit here!!!!!
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) January 16, 2018
Still putting on his shoes pic.twitter.com/mj9vS9cwCn
— Daryl Morey 🗽🏀 (@dmorey) January 16, 2018
[TNT]
I don’t want to read a string of tweets. Write a story for crissakes!