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SPORTS Monday 22 october 2018
NBA suspends Ingram, Rondo,

Paul in Lakers-Rockets dustup

By BETH HARRIS star. Paul was suspended an aggressive game and
AP Sports Writer for poking at and making obviously there is contact
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lak- contact Rondo's face and in the game. Our players
ers teammates Brandon throwing multiple punches play with a lot of respect
Ingram and Rajon Rondo at him. for each other and for ev-
and Chris Paul of the Rock- "What is he supposed to erybody else."
ets were suspended with- do? Just stand there and With Paul and Rondo, that
out pay Sunday for an on- get spit on and then take hasn't always the case.
court fight, with Paul taking a punch in the face and They have a history of rais-
the heaviest financial hit. say, 'Well, that's OK,'" said ing the ire of the other, go-
Ingram was suspended four D'Antoni, who called Ron- ing back to at least 2009
games, Rondo will sit out do's spitting "pretty disgust- during a Boston-New Or-
three games and Paul two ing." leans game. Rondo was Houston Rockets' Chris Paul, second from left, is held back by
games. The NBA handed "In the heat of the moment with the Celtics and Paul Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, left, as Paul fights with Lak-
down the punishments a when somebody does that, with the Hornets when play- ers' Rajon Rondo, center obscured, during the second half of an
NBA basketball game Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018, in Los Angeles.
day after the incident in that's tough, that's really ers from both sides had to The Rockets won, 124-115.
the fourth quarter at Sta- tough," D'Antoni said. get between the two point Associated Press
ples Center. The Rockets led 109-108 guards as tempers seemed
The penalty was costliest with 4:13 remaining when to flare after a game where acknowledge spitting on that, however you want to
to Paul, who was fined a Ingram fouled Harden and they got tangled up in the Paul. "Rajon has his own interpret it, that there was
total of $491,782. Paul is then shoved him and con- second quarter. view of what happened," a spitting in Chris Paul's di-
president of the NBA Play- fronted Phillips after getting VanDeWeghe clearly indi- VanDeWeghe said. "I think rection. I think I'm going to
ers' Association. He began a technical foul. cated that Rondo did not that we had a clear view leave it at that."q
serving his suspension Sun- Ingram, Paul and Rondo
day night and wasn't at the were all ejected. Houston
arena when the Rockets won 124-115, spoiling the
played the Clippers. Rondo Lakers' home debut for LeB-
will be docked a total of ron James.
$186,207, while Ingram's to- Harden didn't speak to
tal is $158,816. reporters before Sunday
Houston coach Mike night's game.
D'Antoni disagreed with the "We don't want this to hap-
severity of Paul's penalty. pen again," said NBA ex-
"It's just not equitable," he ecutive vice president Kiki
said. "If you wanted to sus- VanDeWeghe, who hand-
pend him one (game) I get ed down the penalties.
it, just to make a statement. "(We are) sending a clear
Then you're talking mon- message that this is not
etarily, he's paying three acceptable behavior and
times more than the other you cannot do this. So in
guys are paying for missing this particular instance, the
games? That doesn't seem multiple-game suspensions
to be right." are pretty severe both to
Ingram and Rondo will start their teams and financially
their suspensions Monday to the players."
night when the Lakers host The suspension to Ingram is
the San Antonio Spurs. the longest for an on-court
The league said Ingram was incident since April 2012,
suspended for aggressively when Metta World Peace
escalating the altercation of the Lakers received sev-
and throwing a punch in en games. World Peace
the direction of Paul, con- elbowed Harden, who
fronting referee Jason Phil- was then playing for Okla-
lips in a hostile manner, and homa City, in a game also
instigating the overall inci- at Staples Center to earn
dent by shoving Rockets that penalty, the irony be-
guard James Harden. ing Harden is the one who
Eric Gordon, who started Ingram fouled to start Sat-
in place of Paul against urday's fracas.
the Clippers, defending There have been longer
his teammate, saying, "If suspensions in recent years,
somebody is attacking you, but none for an on-court al-
you got to somewhat pro- tercation than what Ingram
tect yourself." got.
Rondo has been suspend- "We have so few of these
ed for instigating a physical and we're very lucky in that
altercation with Paul, and regard," VanDeWeghe
spitting and throwing multi- said. "This game is played
ple punches at the Rockets with a lot of passion and it's