Stunning moment LA Lakers star Austin Reaves absolutely loses it at Australian NBA gun Josh Green

Aussie hoops star Josh Green has been dining out on his defence in the NBA and that tenacity led to a furious exchange with an LA Lakers rival today.

Green, playing for the Dallas Mavericks, checked Lakers guard Austin Reaves near the sideline in the intense clash, forcing his rival to cough up possession.

The Aussie followed that up with some choice words, which caused Reaves to explode and go toe-to-toe with Green, screaming obscenities.

Amongst the words exchanged, Reaves could be seen to bellow:  ‘I’ll f*** you up, you ain’t s***.’

The pair had to be separated by teammates and both continued to scream at each other as Green was ushered toward the bench.

Both players were issued technical fouls.

While the intensity shown by Green typifies his rise in the NBA, he could only watch on from the bench as Reaves had the last laugh, draining a crucial triple to secure a 111-108 come-from-behind victory at American Airlines Center.

ESPN commentators Mark Jones and Doris Burke both roared to life at the incident, with Jones declaring playoff intensity basketball had arrived early.

‘Oh boy him and Austin Reeves bumping their guns a little bit,’ ESPN commentator Mark Jones said.

‘Some rancor and bitterness coming from the sidelines Doris I said earlier, feels like April, almost playoff time.’

Burke defended Reaves for his actions, saying he made a career out of his aggression.

‘Big time implications. I like the non-call, I’m gunna say it right now,’ Burke said.

‘Josh Green is gunna chirp a little bit and Austin Reaves, now listen this guy plays with a chip on his shoulder and if he doesn’t he ain’t in the league.

‘He thinks everybody underestimates him, I love the non-call, he’s frustrated by it as you would say Josh gunna bump his guns.’

Reaves was questioned about the incident after the game but was coy about the exchange with the Aussie star.

‘I feel like I always play with high intensity, try to play every game like it’s my last,’ Reaves said. 

‘Something was said, and I didn’t really like it. It was a good basketball game.’

When pressed further on what was said, Reaves grinned and said: ‘I don’t remember.’

Green has averaged 9.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 40 games this season and recently had one of his best performances in the NBA, scoring 15 points and four boards in a win over New Orleans. 

But Green was relegated to the bench when Dallas picked up superstar Kyrie Irving as a mid-season trade.

He recently said it was important for all players to provide Irving and Slovenian star Luka Dončić with support if the Mavericks were going to push for The Championship. 

‘Luka [and Irving[ are going to have their amazing nights, but if we want to be a championship team it’s about the rest of us being able to step up,’ Green said.