Houston Rockets players Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green have both been suspended for two games, the NBA announced on Wednesday. The punishments are in response to shenanigans between the Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers following Monday’s nationally televised game when several Rockets players approached the Clippers’ locker room after on-court disputes.
Why James Harden, Chris Paul didn’t get suspended after Rockets-Clippers fight
Only Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green received suspensions from Monday’s postgame weirdness.
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
The league’s investigation began Monday night after the event dominated Twitter, but it ended rather quietly. James Harden, Chris Paul, and Blake Griffin all escaped punishment, while Clint Capela — supposedly a “decoy” sent to the front of the Clippers’ locker room — may have been misidentified altogether.
Monday’s postgame altercation stemmed from high emotions toward the end of the Clippers’ 113-102 win over Houston. Late in the game, referees apparently missed a key goaltending call; Griffin seemingly rubbed or ran into Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni because he had briefly stepped onto the court; Ariza tore Griffin’s compression tights at the knee on an attempted foul; and Griffin and Ariza were ultimately ejected after exchanging words. Here’s a longer recap of the wild evening, as we understood it after Monday’s ridiculous night.
Ariza and Green will miss Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Saturday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
Why were Ariza and Green suspended?
The NBA concluded that Ariza and Green were the two players who “aggressively” entered the Clippers’ locker room, according to Wojnarowski. While nothing physical happened and the encounter was apparently brief, the league had to set a clear precedent that players were not allowed into the other team’s locker room with negative intentions.
Why weren’t Paul or Harden suspended?
Initially, Twitter made it sound like Paul led an organized raid on the Clippers’ locker room dressed in full camouflage, and with air support, too. Look, I won’t lie — it was hilarious. But both sides, the Clippers and the Rockets, agree that wasn’t reality.
Ariza — who was ejected and had exchanged words with Austin Rivers throughout the end of the game — apparently went to the Clippers’ locker room with a singular purpose, but Paul and Harden tagged along to make sure things didn’t escalate, at least according to the NBA.
Why wasn’t Blake Griffin suspended?
Rockets fans are already venting about this on Twitter. D’Antoni alleged that Griffin elbowed him while running down the sideline with a few minutes left in the fourth quarter. Here’s the play in question.
After the game, D’Antoni said Griffin hit him on that play, although he did not elaborate.
NBA executive vice president Kiki VanDeWeghe, who typically handles disciplinary matters, said that the contact that Griffin made was minimal enough that it didn’t warrant punishment.
It appeared that Griffin was at least partially out of bounds, and D’Antoni reacted severely in the moment, screaming at Griffin about the incident after it happened. But we’re limited in our analysis, with just one distant camera angle and no other real context, so perhaps the league is correct about this one, too.
Why wasn’t Clint Capela suspended?
Capela was originally pegged as a co-conspirator, someone who was sent to the front door of the Clippers’ locker room as a distraction. Rather, as it turns out, that player was Tarik Black, and he only tried to enter after hearing the confrontation between the two teams at the rear entrance.
That’s unfortunate, since the original story where Capela served as a distraction was a top-five moment in the league.
How will the suspensions affect the Rockets?
Green and especially Ariza are important role players for Houston, who are about to face the Timberwolves and Warriors on Thursday and Saturday, both at home.
Houston isn’t a deep team, but it should see Harden return from injury for one or both of those games. The team might have to even play R.J. Hunter, who was signed over the weekend and played one minute in Monday’s game with a jersey that didn’t even have his name on the back.
The lack of depth means that Houston won’t be at its very best, but at least all the stars will be available for a couple marquee events — and you know that the NBA knows it, too.
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