Rockets Guard Ejected After Punching Warriors Player in Heated Moment During NBA GameAnna
Marcus SmartCredit: Ashley Landis/AP Photo
Marcus Smart was ejected from the game after punching Warriors player Charles Bassey
The Houston Rockets guard left the court before the flagrant 2 foul was handed out
Smart joined the Rockets in the offseason on a free agent deal after one season with the Lakers
Marcus Smart was ejected for throwing a punch at Golden State Warriors player Charles Bassey during a game on Wednesday night.
The Houston Rockets guard, 32, did not wait for the referees’ official review before leaving for the locker room, seconds after he punched Bassey in the third quarter.
Officials ruled the contact a flagrant foul 2, which prompted an automatic ejection from the game.
Things got chippy between the two after the Rockets’ Amen Thompson scored on a layup to extend Houston’s lead with 21 seconds to go in the third.
Marcus Smart punched Charles BasseyCredit: Kenneth Richmond/Getty
As Smart and Bassey got into it, Warriors rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg was seen trying to separate them.
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According to Rockets coach Ime Udoka, Smart said Bassey was targeting his previously injured elbow.
But after the game, Bassey elaborated on what he believed initiated the fracas.
“I remember the first half, I was trying to set a screen [and] he grabbed my knee,” Bassey, 26, said. “He was playing dirty. I think I was trying to get a rebound. He was grabbing my hand, and I was trying to run back on defense. Then he got up on me and just swung. Obviously, that was weak. I just think that was, honestly, fake toughness.”
He added, “It didn’t surprise me. I knew he was going to do something. I don’t think he was trying to play. I think he was trying to get himself out of the game. I think he was trying to chill. He wasn’t trying to hoop. That was fake toughness.”
Smart joined the Rockets over the summer in free agency after one season on the Los Angeles Lakers.
The ejection was his 13th of his 12-year career which has included nine seasons with the Boston Celtics and stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards.
Source: Sports