Los Angeles Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo has again denied spitting on Chris Paul in the brawl that happened during the game with the Houston Rockets.
Rondo claimed he would have owned up to spitting on someone and said he only clashed with Paul after the Rockets point guard had poked him in the eye.
"This is the only time I'm going to address this," Rondo told ESPN. "I had a mouthpiece in my mouth and I [was] exasperated.
"Look at my body language. My hands [are] on my hips. I turn away for a second. Look at Eric [Gordon] and Melo [Carmelo Anthony] in the video. If they saw me spit, they would have turned their face up or something. They had no reaction.
"Y'all are playing me with these tricks or these mind games, tampering with the evidence.
"Ain't no way that I intentionally spit on you with my body language the way it was.
"One, if I spit on you, bottom line, there is not going to be no finger-pointing. If you felt that I just spit on you, then all bets are off.
"Two, look at my body language. If I spit on you on purpose, I'm going to be ready for a man to swing on me. You ain't going to have my hands on my hip and my head look away at someone if I spit on them.
"After, within 30 seconds, you run and tell the sideline reporters that I spit on you? If I spit on you, you are trying to get to me. You [are] not trying to make up a story so you can look like a good guy. It makes no sense to me."
Rondo then criticised Paul for how he left the Los Angeles Clippers to join the Rockets last year.
"Of course, the NBA went with his side because I got three games and he got two," Rondo added.
"Everyone wants to believe Chris Paul is a good guy. They don't know he's a horrible team-mate. They don't know how he treats people.
"Look at what he did last year when he was in LA; trying to get to the Clippers' locker room. They don't want to believe he's capable of taunting and igniting an incident.
"Exasperating and spitting are two different things. He comes out and says I spit and the media sides with that."
Paul had alleged that Rondo spat on him and said he felt proud of himself for staying somewhat cool during the incident. However, he is still unhappy to be hit with a suspension for his part in the incident.
"That's tough," Paul said. "Somebody spit on you, you know. Play this long and that has never happened, but it is what it is."
Lakers forward Brandon Ingram received the heftiest punishment, getting a four-game ban.
