Lakers vs Rockets Final Score: Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul ejected for fighting as Lakers lose to Rockets

The vast majority of the attention will be paid to the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets fighting each other during the fourth quarter of their game Saturday night, but the game itself was incredible.

Houston spoiled James’ Staples Center debut in a 124-115 win, leaving the Lakers at two losses and no wins to start the season.

We’ll get to the game in a bit, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention what all went down. Midway through the fourth quarter, a foul was called on Brandon Ingram after James Harden did the typical BS everyone hates him for missed a layup. Ingram gave Harden a shove and while the focus was there, Chris Paul stuck his finger in Rajon Rondo’s face. Rondo wasn’t a fan of this behavior and threw a few punches.

Paul, Rondo and Ingram were all thrown out of the game.

In terms of actual basketball action, the Lakers weren’t able to get stops consistently enough to win down the stretch, continuing a trend seen throughout the preseason. Concerns about the defense are valid. Until the Lakers fix those issues, they won’t be able to run early or win games late. That needs to change, and quickly.

Ingram will probably be suspended given his activity in both the initial scrum and the final one. We’ll see how things turn out with Rondo and Paul.

The Lakers take on the San Antonio Spurs Monday at 7:30 PM, PT, at home.