Rajon Rondo has injured finger, and possibly more beef with Chris Paul
OKLAHOMA CITY — Rajon Rondo, who had a big game in the Lakers’ 125-110 victory over the Thunder on Saturday night in Oklahoma City, injured his right ring finger and will have an MRI exam when he returns to Los Angeles.
Rondo, who started in place of James and finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, has been listed as day to day. X-rays taken Saturday did not show a break.
The veteran point guard also appeared to have some beef with Thunder guard Chris Paul, a longtime nemesis.
Rondo, who started the game shooting six for six from the field and finished 10 of 22, said he injured the finger on his shooting hand during the first half.
“I don’t know what really happened,” Rondo said. “I looked it and it was just hurt.”
Rondo wouldn’t share any details about what happened between him and Paul.
Paul fouled Rondo with 8 minutes and 26 seconds left in the third quarter. Rondo doubled over in pain and refused to leave the game when coach Frank Vogel tried to insert Alex Caruso.
Rondo later had a discussion with referee Sean Wright, wanting to know why there wasn’t a review on the play in which Paul committed the foul.
“I just felt like that if that was me, I would have been thrown out or it would have been held up for a review,” Rondo said. “That’s all I told him. They wanted to move on so quickly from the play and didn’t really know what happened.”
What did happen?
“It’s in the past,” Rondo said. “I don’t really want to talk about it. I don’t think it was a clean play. But like I said … I guess it’s reputation, his versus mine.”
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Rondo and Paul do have a bad history with each other.
Rondo was suspended for three games last season after the NBA determined that he spit on Paul, who was playing for the Houston Rockets at the time. The two had exchanged blows during that game at Staples Center last season.
Paul and Rondo didn’t say much to each other during the game Saturday.
Instead, Rondo and his teammates took care of business, building a 32-point lead that pushed the Lakers to their eight consecutive win.
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