There are times during a game where players get heated at one another, and sometimes that happens with teammates. There are a variety of reasons for why that could happen, but usually, the common denominator is frustration at something that happened in the game.
Shams Charania of The Athletic has recently revealed that Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope got into a “physical altercation” with both taking “swings towards each other”. The two were both notably traded by the Los Angeles Lakers prior to the season in the Russell Westbrook deal, and the increased opportunity and touches have allowed both to shine this season.
Washington Wizards guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and center Montrezl Harrell got into a physical altercation at halftime of Tuesday night’s home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder and their tussle needed to be separated by teammates, sources tell The Athletic.
Sources said Harrell became upset with Caldwell-Pope for not passing him the basketball on a play before the first half concluded, and the two started jawing during the walk to the locker room. As the two exchanged words, Harrell and Caldwell-Pope took swings toward each other — with neither connecting — and became entangled before teammates separated them, sources said.
By the time players entered the locker room, the altercation had ended. There was increased security presence to ensure the tension did not escalate again.
The Wizards won their second consecutive game and Caldwell-Pope and Harrell were two of the team’s five players in double figures Tuesday night. Caldwell-Pope had 16 points on three 3-pointers, three rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes while Harrell posted 12 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes — and both played the second half.
The Washington Wizards did end up getting the win, but getting physical with one’s teammates isn’t an acceptable action, even if there is frustration present. It’s definitely good to hear that no one got hurt.
It remains to be seen if the team or the NBA dole out some punishment to Montrezl Harrell or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for their actions. It’s good to hear that nobody got hurt, and hopefully this doesn’t happen again.
