Harrell calls halftime scuffle part of ‘competitive nature’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Wizards teammates Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope engaged in a physical altercation on their way to the locker room during halftime of their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, but Harrell insists that it blew over before they returned to the court.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday night that Harrell was frustrated with Caldwell-Pope over his decision not to pass him the ball on a play near the end of the first half. Harrell and Caldwell-Pope were spotted talking back and forth on their way to the tunnel, where the altercation reportedly occurred. They each missed on several swings at each other and had to be separated by teammates, Charania reported citing a source.
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Washington trailed 61-58 at the half, but any lingering effects of the disagreement didn’t impact the game enough to prevent the Wizards from outscoring the Thunder in both the third and fourth quarters en route to a 122-118 victory. Harrell then took to his Instagram story Wednesday morning to clear up what happened.
“Heated discussion are apart of competitive nature that’s it,” Harrell wrote in a repost of former Wizard Gilbert Arenas’s story. “We bumped heads and figure it out went out and won a game. As far as Shams reaching trying get information no one know about but out team that’s weak [as] hell!”
The game was Harrell's first appearance since being placed in COVID protocols in late-December. He finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench while Caldwell-Pope tallied 16 points and three assists as the team's starting shooting guard. Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards with 29 points and Spencer Dinwiddie registered a double-double with Bradley Beal out due to coronavirus concerns.
Washington's win was its second in a row, raising its record to 21-20 on the season. The Wizards currently hold the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference and play their next seven games at home.
