On what's seemingly a random Monday night, multiple fights broke out around the NBA. The game between the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets featured a brawl that ended with five players getting ejected. The same thing happened in the Minnesota Timberwolves-Atlanta Hawks game, with two players getting ejected. So when Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso seemed to get into a shouting match with Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso, everyone was bracing for action.
That trepidation ended up being unnecessary: Caruso and James made up shortly after the altercation. The Thunder guard joked after the game that he and his former teammate were about to fight.
“We were about to fight,” Caruso said during a post-game interview.”They were saying something to the refs, and then we were walking off. I was just clearing the air. Obviously, you can tell I'm smiling and he's smiling. But the refs thought everything was… Well, it's crazy. There's been like two fights in the NBA tonight. I think everyone's on edge. I think that's probably what it was.”
Caruso and James were teammates for a brief period, but it was a memorable one for Lakers fan. The undrafted guard became an integral part of the Lakers' championship run in 2020 during the bubble. Caruso broke out there as one of the toughest defenders in the league who is also solid on the other side of the ball. Caruso landed in Chicago before finding a new home with the Thunder.
With the Thunder, Caruso reprised his role as a pesky on-ball defender with great three-point shooting. He played a similar role in the Thunder's championship run last season. This season, though, Caruso is having a down year on the offensive side of the ball. He's averaging just 6.4 points while shooting a dismal 31.3% from deep.
Against his former team, Caruso had one of his best games this season. He scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, making three of his four three-point attempts. He added a steal and two assists as the Thunder won 119-110 against the Lakers on the road.
