With the game at 109-108 to Houston and just over four minutes remaining, trouble escalated rapidly after Brandon Ingram was handed a technical foul for a push on reigning MVP James Harden in response to a foul call.
Rockets point guard Harden spoke to referees asking for the basket to count before Ingram’s shove.
Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo then both clashed with Paul sticking a finger in the Lakers guard’s face with the veteran responding with a flurry of swings including a left-hand that connected with Paul’s face.
As team-mates sought to diffuse the situation, a furious Ingram burst in and then punched Paul in a heated exchange.
The refees called two technical fouls and a personal foul on Ingram, who was ejected – with Paul and Rondo also ejected after an official review.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Ingram, Paul and Rondo are all facing lengthy suspensions of multiple games as a result of the fracas.
Paul claimed that he was spat on as he spoke with four-time MVP James, the pair known to be good friends, in the aftermath.
Despite the trouble, the Rockets kept their advantage for a 124-115 win on the road.
“Honestly I’m not sure. It escalated really, really quick,” James Harden told ESPN reporter Doris Burke afterwards, understandably keen not to go into detail about the drama.
James ended on 24 points off of nine-for-22 shooting, adding six rebounds and five assists.
That was the best of any Laker with Harden producing a game-high 36 points and Paul contributing 28 before his ejection.
James and co. are now 0-2 for the season.