Rondo-Paul tangle won't require NBA discipline

The NBA confirmed Thursday that no further action will be taken against either Rajon Rondo or Chris Paul after tensions ran high all night between the two guards in Sunday's Celtics-Hornets game in Boston.

A formal review was opened Monday after Paul and Rondo tangled under the basket in the second quarter, resulting in each player being assessed a technical foul. Media accounts from the game also suggested that Rondo and Paul exchanged heated words after the final buzzer that eventually prompted Paul to try to follow Rondo off the floor.

According to the Boston Globe, Rondo approached Paul while the Hornets' guard and Boston's Paul Pierce were exchanging post-game handshakes. The Globe reported that shouting ensued and that the two guards had to be separated.

According to The Associated Press game story, Paul later tried to walk toward the Boston locker room as the Celtics were filing off the court before Celtics assistants stopped him. The AP reported that Hornets coach Byron Scott then came over to retrieve him.

Via his Twitter feed Monday, Paul said: "... [Just] to clear this up I never came close to approaching the Celts locker room last [night]. Not sure where that's coming from. Also me [and Celtics assistant coach Tom] Thibodeau never got in a shouting match. We talked. ... [Too] much respect for him, crazy how it's twisted."

Information from ESPN.com senior NBA writer Marc Stein was used in this report.