Updated
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.
Josh Hart gets the NBA championship trophy braided into his hair for Knicks season openerc
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.