Lakers Video: Shaquille O’Neal Reacts To Reports Of Chris Paul, Rockets Storming Clippers Locker Room

Matthew Moreno
2 Min Read
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

While tension and frustration boiled over on multiple occasions Monday night during a 113-102 win for the Los Angeles Clippers over the Houston Rockets, it paled in comparison to what allegedly occurred in the underground hallways of Staples Center.

The matchup on Martin Luther King Jr. Day marked the first for Chris Paul against his former team since he joined the Rockets during the offseason. Paul did not play in the meeting last December due to injury.

The Clippers welcomed their former point guard with a video montage to thank him for his time with the franchise. But there otherwise was little love lost, particularly with Blake Griffin.

Paul and Griffin tussled on multiple occasions, and so too did Trevor Ariza with Griffin, Austin Rivers and others. Ariza and Griffin received double technical fouls with just over one minute remaining, resulting in an ejection for Griffin.

Shortly after the game went final, several reports indicated there was an incident in which Ariza, James Harden and Paul attempted to breach the Clippers locker room through a backdoor.

That Paul would be at the center of a scuffle provided great fodder for the Inside the NBA crew, specifically Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, via the show’s Twitter account:

It’s believed Griffin and Rivers were the targets for the Rockets trio. Security and the Los Angeles Police Department managed to get the situation under control without any incident.

The NBA is expected to investigate the situation and could render penalties in the coming days.

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Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers games, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com