It took all of two games for the new-look Los Angeles Lakers to have their first public episode.
The Lakers fell behind by double digits to the Phoenix Suns in the first half on Friday. During a timeout, teammates Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard got into an altercation on the bench. Davis yelled at the seated Howard, who stood up to confront him. As Howard did so, Davis put his hands on him, and the two had to be separated by teammates. Take a look.
The Lakers lost their season opener to the Golden State Warriors earlier in the week. As for Davis and Howard, they were already teammates during the Lakers’ championship season in 2019-20. Howard then left the Lakers to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers but returned this past offseason.
Bench disagreements between teammates are nothing new in the NBA. But it is rare to see such disagreements turn physical and will only add to the scrutiny facing the Lakers amid their flat start to the season.
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