The NBA handed out suspensions after completing their investigation of the LA Clippers and Houston Rockets scuffle on Monday night.
The NBA completed their investigation of the LA Clippers and Houston Rockets scuffle on Monday night. The result? A couple of suspensions and nothing more.
The Houston Rockets’ Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green were each suspended two games apiece for their involvement in the “rushing” of the LA Clippers’ locker room after the game. Chris Paul, James Harden and Clint Capela, who were all supposedly at the Clippers’ locker room in one form or another, were not punished.
No one from the LA Clippers was suspended or fined, which was expected, despite the outcry from the Rockets. The Rockets are reportedly upset that neither Blake Griffin nor Austin Rivers was suspended. The team felt that Rivers, who didn’t even play, deserved suspension for instigating from the bench.
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The team also felt that Griffin should have been suspended for “running into” head coach Mike D’Antoni. However, the NBA, along with many others, feel like the Rockets are reaching on this claim.
He brushed by D'antoni as he ran down the sidelines, I'm howling at people saying he "ran into him" https://t.co/flswHiLY20
— I Always Keep A Can Of Tuna On Me (@SnottieDrippen) January 18, 2018
The Clippers, unlike the Rockets, were able to move past this incident, as they defeated the Denver Nuggets. Prior to the game against Denver, Austin Rivers did confirm that he and Trevor Ariza talked at length about the incident and hashed things out. It was a great show of character by Ariza, who reportedly reached out. The two teams do play again on February 28th, so it will be interesting to see how much, if any, lingering anger there is between them.