Houston Rockets defensive ace Amen Thompson and New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado spiced up the game between the two teams on Tuesday. Midway through the second quarter, the two got entangled while battling for a rebound. With both players having their arms wrapped around each other, the bigger Thompson managed to swing Alvarado to the ground.The feisty Pelicans guard refused to let go and dragged Thompson with him. Thompson forcefully pushed Alvarado down before seemingly punching his opponent. Players and coaches from both teams managed to separate the two before things got uglier.The Thompson-Alvarado skirmish happened after Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. missed an open 26-footer. Before they jostled for position on the left block, the two antagonists had been going after each other multiple possessions earlier. The bruising battle inside the paint broke the tension that led to the incident.Amen Thompson received a flagrant-1 foul while Jose Alvarado earned a technical foul. Durant, who took the free throw off Alvarado's infraction, missed. Alvarado converted the two bonus free throws from the Thompson flagrant foul to cut Houston's lead to 45-43.Rockets coach Ime Udoka kept Thompson on the floor until the halftime buzzer. Alvarado did not have much leash as Pelicans coach Willie Green replaced him with Zion Williamson with 4:15 left in the second quarter.Ime Udoka started Amen Thompson at point guard, paving the way for Jose Alvarado battlesIme Udoka rolled out a jumbo starting five featuring Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson. Without Fred VanVleet, Udoka has been experimenting with his lineups, a strategy that has seen the 6-foot-7 Thompson play point guard.Because of Udoka's game plan, Thompson inevitably went up against Jose Alvarado, the Pelicans' backup point guard. With both players known for their feisty, rugged and no-holds-barred style, only cooler heads prevented the bruising battle from turning into a fistfight.The Pelicans and the Rockets are in the Southwest Division in the Western Conference. With four games between themselves in the regular season, fans could be in for a highly entertaining and physical series.