While Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant may not be meshing on the court, they certainly are having fun with a report that they nearly came to blows in the locker room on New Year's Day.

Accordingly to a New York Daily News report Monday, teammates had to restrain Howard from going after Bryant in the locker room following a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

WATCH: Kobe Bryant's impressive dunk on Chris Paul

Via New York Daily News:

A league source told the Daily News that the Lakers stars got into a heated exchange following a New Year's Day loss to the 76ers, and Bryant went for a low blow – referencing and agreeing with Shaquille O'Neal's criticisms of Howard being soft.

Bryant, who only joined Twitter last week, has already mastered the medium, sending out this brilliant shot on Monday afternoon.

Via @kobebryant:

The mamba vs d12 !! It's on lol pic.twitter.com/cZQO5Avf

A person with knowledge of the situation who spoke to USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation called the report "completely false."

Still, the comedy of Bryant allegedly using O'Neal's words to back up an argument aside, exactly what did the Lakers think they were mixing together here? There's been enough documentation of Howard's deceptive destruction in Orlando last season, but then you combine that "What, me worry?" attitude with Bryant's single-minded competitiveness and surly demeanor and expect it to work?

Now you've got a team that is 15-18 and on its second coach of the season while trying to incorporate a healthy Steve Nash as well as deal with an invisible and sad Pau Gasol. In addition, the team announced Monday that Howard will miss at least a week with a torn labrum while Gasol is out with a concussion.

Howard alluded to the team's "chemistry issues" in an ESPN Los Angeles story Saturday but at no point did he or Bryant, who was also quoted, mention any sort of previous locker room skirmish.

Via ESPN Los Angeles:

"We have to play like we like each other. Even if we don't want to be friends off the court, whatever that may be, when we step in between the lines or we step in the locker room or the gym, we have to respect each other and what we bring to the table," Howard said. "It really starts off the court. I think you have to have that relationship and that chemistry off the court for it to really blossom on the court. It takes time to develop that. You just don't come together and then expect to be best friends right away. It just doesn't happen like that."

The one person who probably could have gotten this team to play together, Phil Jackson, is likely busy filling out his registry for upcoming nuptials to the team owner's daughter.

But if there's another person who is clearly happy to not be a part of this circus, it's former Lakers center Andrew Bynum. Any time you can roll into a top steakhouse wearing sweatpants and slippers, you're clearly relishing the delicious taste of freedom.