LOS ANGELES -- Lakers forward Rick Fox regrets striking Doug Christie and then waiting near the Sacramento locker room to put a headlock on the Kings guard.

	Christie

	Fox

"It's just a situation where my emotions got hijacked and I regret responding the way I did," Fox said after practice Sunday. "I will try and move on from there."

Fox said he expects to be fined and suspended by the NBA. Christie also might be suspended.

The Friday night fight came in the preseason finale for both teams. Fox and Christie fought on the court in the first quarter. After their ejections, they scuffled outside the Kings' locker room.

Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal, who was in street clothes, could get suspended for leaving the bench and going to the hallway to help Fox. The entire Kings team left the bench and tried to help Christie. They all could face suspensions as well.

Fox said he knows his suspension could be the longest.

"I'll accept that," he said. "I can't argue that."

The fight started 9:53 into the game. Fox threw a right-handed elbow at Christie, who had smothered Fox on defense. Fox was called for an offensive foul and then dropped the ball on Christie. Christie, who had fallen to the court, got back up and threw the ball back at Fox.

Fox threw an openhanded left-handed slap and hit Christie in the jaw. Christie responded by hitting Fox with a left-handed punch.

After both were tossed from the game, Fox sprinted off the court, past the Lakers locker room and waited for Christie to enter the tunnel. Fox then put Christie into a headlock and Christie threw several punches at Fox.

Fox was asked Sunday if he thought about turning back before reaching the tunnel.

"No," he said. "That's the disappointing thing because I had enough time to gather myself. But now I know that about me. I learned something about myself that I didn't know, and that is I need more than three or four minutes to catch myself."

According to several witnesses, Christie's wife also joined the fracas, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"I guess she thought he needed some help," Fox told the newspaper.

The Lakers and Kings have established one of the NBA's best rivalries. They played a seven-game series in the Western Conference finals last May, which the Lakers won 4-3.

Both teams disparaged the other, but they never fought.

"It wasn't something that I've ever done," Fox said. "I do regret it."