LeBron James has said that he isn't friends with Chris Paul following the brawl between members of the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center on Saturday night.

The superstar forward had his home debut ruined by the unfortunate incident during which he had to pry Paul away and was also made to suffer a disheartening loss.

The pair have been good friends for many years now - they're part of the 'banana boat' crew - but LeBron has jokingly said that their relationship has soured since the fight.

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“All I cared about was trying to get the thing over with,” the player told reporters ahead of the Lakers' game against the San Antonio Spurs. “Trying to get back to the game. That was all that was on my mind at the end of the day was to end the altercation and help the referees out.”

Asked if he's been thrust into an awkward situation due to his close friendship with Paul, Lebron joked he's no longer friends with the former Clippers point guard, per journalist Kyle Goon.

Paul received a two-game suspension from the NBA on Sunday, while Lakers squad members Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo were suspended for four and three games, respectively.

James had previously refused to comment on the fight, telling reporters he didn't see anything after Saturday's game

"I just tried to calm things down, that's all. Play basketball," he said.

"When you wake up tomorrow, it's a new day, it's a new opportunity and you leave things in the past and get on with the future. Tonight, whenever time guys go to bed, when they wake up tomorrow, they got a fresh mind and they can move on."

Lakers head coach Luke Walton inserted Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball into the starting lineup against the Spurs on Monday night as replacements for Ingram and Rondo. Kuzma scored a team-high 37 points in his 45 minutes on the floor while Ball registered 14 points and six assists in 33 minutes.

The team, however, fell to 0-3 after losing 143-142 in overtime.

This is not the start the side envisioned ahead of the beginning of the season. But they have been matched up against pretty strong Western Conference teams so far, having played the Portland Trailblazers and the Rockets prior to Monday's loss against the Spurs.

In that regard, they will be hoping to catch a break when they meet the Phoenix Suns on the road on Wednesday.

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