NBA games occasionally get pretty heated, and sometimes the action doesn't stop when the final whistle sounds.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Houston Rockets players James Harden, Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green pushed their way into the Los Angeles Clippers locker room looking for Austin Rivers and Blake Griffin following the Clippers' 113-102 victory Monday night.
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
The situation got even stranger, as the Rockets reportedly sent Clint Capela to the front door of the locker room to act as a kind of distraction while the other four Rockets entered through the back way.
Sources: As the four Rockets marched through the back hallway into the Clippers locker room, center Clint Capela knocked on the front door of Clippers entrance. Someone opened door, saw him standing there -- and shut it on him.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 16, 2018
Things intensified toward the end of the game when Ariza was jarring with Rivers and Patrick Beverley, who were standing by the Clippers bench in street clothes (neither played in the game). Griffin then stepped in front of Ariza, leading to another altercation that saw Griffin and Ariza ejected from the game.
According to Brad Turner of the L.A. Times, the postgame altercation didn't get physical.
Chris Paul, Gerald Green, Trevor Ariza and James Harden tried to enter the Clippers locker room, per source. "Just lot of barking," one person said
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) January 16, 2018
The Clippers have won five games in a row despite being riddled with injuries, while the Rockets have gone 4-3 since Harden suffered a hamstring injury.
