Jordan Clarkson Squared Up To Fight Goran Dragic After Shoving Him To The Ground

The Los Angeles Lakers trounced the Miami Heat by a final score of 127-100 on Friday night. Aside from a thunderous dunk from Tyler Johnson, it was a night largely devoid of fireworks for Miami, but the evening did include a scuffle between Heat guard Goran Dragic and Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson.

The incident took place during the third quarter before the score got firmly out of hand, and this looks to be a situation of pure escalation. Clarkson delivered the biggest shot of the exchange with his arms rising toward Dragic’s head, but it does not appear to be a one-sided situation as a screen turned into something more.

In fact, the two players had to be separated with haste, especially since Clarkson squared up to fight Dragic and raised his hands as if he was poised to deliver haymakers. Both players were ejected and Miami’s James Johnson was issued a technical foul for his role. However, the Lakers were actually fortunate to avoid a suspension to No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram. If you look closely, it is clear that assistant coach Mark Madson snatched the rookie before he could leave the bench to join the on-court issue.

In the end, Dragic and Clarkson will likely avoid additional penalty, with a nod toward their teammates that stepped in to avoid what could have been an ugly scene if punches were thrown. Both players didn’t seem to hesitate and there was clearly some bad blood rising. In the NBA, that is sometimes a recipe for disaster and, with one look at Clarkson’s raised fists, this could’ve been quite a scene.

(H/T Silver Screen and Roll)

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