Last second fight taints Clippers beating Lakers

Although the Clippers were just a few seconds away from finishing off the Lakers and their seven-game winning streak, Blake Griffin and Lamar Odom refused to stop wrestling for one last rebound.

That competition in final seconds led to a short confrontation, leading to a minor shoving match, which then led to a major scrum and four ejections as the Lakers lost to their cross town rivals.

While Randy Foye made a free throw to put the Clippers ahead 99-90, Griffin slammed aggressively into Odom’s back while seeking position for a possible rebound. Odom then grabbed Griffin’s jersey and verbally expressed his displeasure.

“Maybe I over reacted, but I just feel like if you’re up 9 (points), a ram in the back at that point?” Odom asked.

“Any other time, I get it. You play hard, you’re strong, whatever, but the ram in the back (while) up 9? I don’t get it, so I’m just going to have to react”.

Griffin ducked his head and tried to walk away from the confrontation, and that’s when Griffin's team mate Baron Davis shoved Odom firmly in the chest, leading to both teams circling under the hoop.

“I was just helping my teammate and being a backup”, Davis said.

“People take shots at Blake (Griffin), and they’ve been doing it all season, but it wasn’t nothing. It was just playing tag”.

Although no punches were thrown and order was quickly restored, the officials held a conference before ejecting Odom, Griffin, Davis and Ron Artest, with the decision visibly baffling Griffin and Artest, whose offense wasn’t clear.

“I have no idea how they make their decisions, whimsically, I think”, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

“I can see Lamar and Griffin (getting ejected), but Ron, it was just ridiculous”.

The Lakers have now split the two games between the two rivals this season.