By Rafael Bandayrel
themselves fighting with each other.
The pair the six-foot-nine center and the five-foot- nine-point guard got into the heated shouting match
during a timeout of the Lakers’ 117-106 loss against the defending champions. Teammates Brook
Lopez and Lonzo Ball stepped in between the arguing pair to break-up the tension.
Lakers head coach Luke Walton, however, did not think the fight was a bothersome issue. “I didn’t see
what it was about; I like it, though,” Lakers head coach Luke Walton said via ESPN. “I told them
afterward, I love it.”
“As long as they’re open-minded and whatever they were arguing about, they get it figured out. We
have been trying to get our guys to talk [on defense] all year long and if it is a heated conversation, that
means it is two people that are passionate about something and we will take that on our team any day.”
Randle, meanwhile, explained that the argument was just in the in the spirit of competitiveness. “That’s
my dude,” Randle said. “[Thomas has] been great since he’s came in. Like I said, it’s nothing personal,
man. We’re just trying to bring the best out of each other and push each other.”
Thomas, who was shipped to the Lakers during the trade deadline, echoed Randle’s statements and said
he talked to Randle about the issue in the locker room.
“That’s all it was. Happy to be yelling,” Thomas said. “We want the best for each other, we just want to
win. We’re two leaders on the team that we’re competing on and it was a misunderstanding at one
point and we talked about it and we’re good.”