LOS ANGELES – The hard start to the lockers season began Friday night, when Anthony Davis And Dwight Howard They had a hot exchange in the first half of the 115-105 loss to the sun.
Between the 27-11 rally held by Phoenix to take a 13-point lead at half-time, Howard and Davis parted ways with their team after a bench dispute.
“When your butt is kicked, sometimes those conversations heat up,” says Lakers coach Frank Vogel. “Those people love each other. They talked about it. It happens from time to time.”
With three minutes and 13 seconds remaining in the second quarter, following the Suns ’timeout, Davis confronted Howard, who was sitting on the bench, as the Lockers backup center stood up and prompted him to stand face to face with Davis.
As Howard approached, Davis grabbed him by the arms, causing Howard to lose his balance and fall toward the bench. Malik monk And Avery Bradley They intervened and captured Monk Howard and Bradley Davis. Tensions escalated as Davis pointed to Howard earlier Rondo area, LeBron James, Davis’ personal bodyguard and others will try to alleviate the situation.
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Fight between Howard and Davis on the Lakers bench.
“We had a disagreement over something. We were both very interested in winning. We didn’t want to miss this game, so we’re excited,” Howard said. “We are adults, and sometimes these things happen. But we’ve going to solve this little problem between him and me, and that’s my brother,” he said.
Davis, who scored 22 points and 14 rounds, helped reduce the Suns’ 32-point lead to nine at the end of the fourth quarter and reduced the fight.
“It’s not a bar,” Davis said, adding that the controversy was caused by the failure of his big-and-roll coverage. “After the situation arose, we talked about it and left it.”
Howard did not play in the second half, a decision made by the coach, which Vogel said was an opportunity to evaluate a smaller sequence than the disciplinary action.
“We’re trying to get chemistry,” Howard said. “This is our second game, our second real game. We have to get it right. I know a lot of people are already criticizing us. This is just the beginning. A lot of people are joking about us, but we’ve going to get it together,” he said.