De'Aaron Fox mocks Chet Holmgren after heated on-court fight adding fuel to Spurs-Thunder rivalry
A rematch on opening night of last season's Western Conference Finals turned into a feisty contest.
The NBA is well and truly back. Most eyes were on the new-look Philadelphia 76ers , with LeBron James , taking on the defending NBA champion New York Knicks . The Sixers got off on the right foot, beating the champs at Madison Square Garden .
Elsewhere, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Boston Celtics . But it was the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs that provided the highlight of the night. In a rematch of last season's Western Conference Finals , some bad blood clearly spilled over from that series.
During the second quarter, De'Aaron Fox was being posted up by Chet Holmgren in the paint. Knowing that he was in a mismatch, Fox decided to foul Holmgren by throwing him down to the floor. Holmgren's Thunder teammates took offense to that, and a scuffle ensued.
De'Aaron Fox on Chet Holmgren scuffle: "I didn't throw him that hard"
Holmgren didn't look all that annoyed by the foul, and Fox himself decided to downplay the situation after the game ended; but in doing so, he threw some shade at Holmgren's physique . Fox basically told Holmgren to hit the weight room, just without actually saying those words.
" Somebody grabs you like that and you go flying on the floor like that, you've got other problems to worry about. I didn't throw him that hard, I promise you ."
Holmgren's lanky frame has been a contentious topic since he entered the league. Fox believes he was either flopping or really needs to get stronger.
