Although the 2008-09 NBA season hasn’t seen many on-court incidents, there was a stir created in Portland on Monday night. With the Trail Blazers up big near the end of the third quarter, rookie Rudy Fernandez was streaking to the basket. Out of nowhere, Trevor Ariza of the Los Angeles Lakers hammered him across the head.

The hit sent Fernandez tumbling to the ground. Players from both teams began scuffling before the refs were able to break it up. All the while, Fernandez was laying on the ground and it looked like he was gasping for air.

After a long delay, Fernandez was carried off the court in a stretcher. Ariza was given a flagrant foul penalty two, which meant he was ejected from the game.

The good news is that Fernandez apparently escaped serious injury. X-Rays after the game were negative and he had full movement in all limbs. Following the contest, Ariza apologized for the incident and said he didn’t attempt to hurt Fernandez on the play.

Despite being outscored 38-27 in the fourth quarter, the Blazers were able to hold on and win by a final score of 111-94. All-Star Brandon Roy led the way with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists. Travis Outlaw had 22 points off the bench, while starting center Joel Przybilla contributed with 12 points and 18 rebounds. Prior to his injury, Fernandez had 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting.

Kobe Bryant scored 26 points for the Lakers but was held to 11-of-29 shooting from the field. Ariza had only three points in 11 minutes before being ejected.

With the win, the Blazers improved to 40-23 on the season. When playing at home, Portland is now 27-5. The Lakers dropped to 50-13 but they remain far ahead of the pack in the Western Conference.

Tags: blazers, los angeles lakers, nba basketball, nba fights, portland trailblazers, rudy fernandez, trevor ariza
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