Saturday night (October 20) was the official home debut for LeBron James as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately, that debut was spoiled by a loss to the Houston Rockets and some extracurricular activities on the court. LeBron would finish with 24 points, five assists, and five rebounds, in the 124-115 loss. However, it was teammates Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram who stole headlines. A Rajon Rondo vs Chris Paul fight, as well as Brandon Ingram throwing a punch, led to player ejections, and will probably bring some suspensions.

Rondo vs Paul fight in the fourth quarter

Things got chippy when the Rockets and Lakers moved into the fourth quarter. Earlier in the game, Rajon Rondo had been bumped to the court on a driving play by Chris Paul. That drew Rondo's criticism to the ref over what transpired. It's no secret that these two guards don't like each other, and that would become more apparent in the late part of the game.

Brandon Ingram attempted to defend a James Harden drive in the fourth, leading to some frustration when a foul was called. As the play had been whistled for the foul, Ingram turned around and began to walk back toward the ref to argue the call. Harden was walking with his back to Ingram and the usually mild-mannered Lakers star shoved the reigning NBA MVP.

Harden didn't fight back, but seemed shocked by it.

However, as cameras moved away from the action on the court, the announcers suddenly got excited. Mike Breem and company let the fans know that punches were thrown between Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo. The video below shows the drama as it happened.

They played back the footage later, showing how the two players got in each other's faces.

Paul pushed Rondo's face with his finger and that prompted Rondo to throw a hook shot, as their teammates pulled them apart. However, Brandon Ingram ran back over and threw a punch directly at Chris Paul, in surprising fashion. While Rondo's been known to get hot-headed in games, Chris Paul and Brandon Ingram normally don't.

Ingram, Rondo, Paul ejected - suspensions next

It's no surprise, but all three players were ejected after the fight, and with punches thrown, suspensions have to be on the way. Early speculation is that Brandon Ingram may be due for the biggest suspension of the three players. He was the instigator, so to speak, in the entire fight, as he first shoved Harden to stir things up between the teams.

Chris Paul claimed that Rondo spat on him to cause the fight between the two of them, though. If that's true, it may result in even more of a suspension for Rajon Rondo. That means two Lakers will be out of action for a bit of time, and the team's already 0-2. Maybe it'll calm things down a bit for LeBron James.

Rondo also stated that he feels James is not who he thought he was.

That Ingram rushed back in to land another punch on Chris Paul isn't going to be looked upon kindly either, but all three players will probably be out for a few games.

LeBron comments on fight, loss

LeBron James weighed in with comments after the disappointing loss in L.A. and the fight. He generally deflected his comments or answers regarding the Rondo vs Paul incident. "I didn't see anything. I didn't say anything to my teammates after the game," LeBron said when asked about the dispute and post-game discussions.

He said with regard to the Los Angeles Lakers going 0-2 to start the season that he's "not disappointed at all." He added that the team had some "miscues and missed shots down the stretch, but that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes."

LeBron told the media when he pulled Chris Paul aside he was just trying to calm him down and play basketball.

He replied to one reporter's question about the fight, "I don't know about provoking and all that, we just wanna play basketball." As the newest superstar on the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James seems hungry for his first win. One has to wonder what will happen the next time the Lakers and Rockets meet. For those marking calendars, that game takes place on Thursday, December 13 in Houston at 8 PM ET on TNT.
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