Houston Rockets: Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green suspended 2 games

The NBA suspended Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green for their roles in an altercation in the Clippers locker room.

The NBA has suspended Houston forwards Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green for the next two games for entering the Clippers locker room after a loss on Monday night.

The refs ejected Trevor Ariza and Blake Griffin late in the fourth quarter after an altercation. Ariza also exchanged words with Austin Rivers, and he had more to say to his opponents after the game.

According to ESPN, Ariza, Green, Chris Paul and James Harden entered the Clippers locker room through a back corridor after the game. They wanted to confront Griffin and Rivers, but security was able to push them back into the visiting locker room.

James Harden and Chris Paul won’t face any disciplinary action as they were attempting to diffuse situation. When asked about the incident, Ariza questioned the accuracy of the media reports, via ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

“The only problem that I have is all the buzz created. You guys had a lot of different stories about what happened, none of which were true. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. The people that were there know exactly what happened and know exactly what did not happen.”

Also, there were previous reports that Clint Capela knocked on the front door of the Clippers locker room while his teammates went through the back door as some sort of diversionary tactic. But according to Marc Stein of The New York Times, it was actually Tarik Black that knocked on the door, and it wasn’t part of a planned attack.

It’s time for the Houston Rockets to move on

Many of the initial media reports are probably a bit inaccurate and the players will never tell the whole story. At the end of the day, we’ll probably never know exactly what happened in the hallways of Staples Center.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, Ariza and Green will miss games against the Timberwolves and the Warriors. Houston expects James Harden to return on Thursday against Minnesota, but The Beard will be on a minutes restriction. Luc Mbah a Moute or P.J. Tucker will likely fill Ariza’s spot in the starting lineup.

Next: James Harden will be on a minutes restriction if he plays

This entire incident gave the NBA world a lot to talk about for the last few days. Now its time for the Houston Rockets to move on and focus on the Wolves on Thursday.