Houston Rockets guard Marcus Smart received a three-game suspension without pay from the NBA on Thursday for punching Golden State Warriors center Charles Bassey. The confrontation occurred late in the third quarter of Houston's 115-108 home victory Wednesday, with Smart receiving a flagrant foul 2 and being ejected.
The suspension rules Smart out of Friday's home game against the Utah Jazz and the Rockets' next two road games, Sunday against the Washington Wizards and Monday against the Miami Heat. Houston entered Thursday's play with a 9-3 record, placing the team third in the Western Conference.
Wednesday's confrontation followed a transition basket by Rockets guard Amen Thompson, who drove to the rim and increased Houston's lead with 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter. After the basket, Smart and Bassey exchanged words face to face while Warriors forward Yaxel Lendeborg tried to move them apart.
Smart then swung a right hook, grazing Bassey's nose as the center stepped backward to evade the punch. Referee Mitchell Ervin was in front of the incident. Thompson, Golden State players Gui Santos and Brandin Podziemski, and referee Brandon Adair quickly stepped in to separate the players.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka said afterward that he had discussed the confrontation with Smart. According to Udoka, Smart said the players had become tangled and that his previously injured elbow had been bent. Udoka said Smart then addressed Bassey, who responded by asking what Smart would do.
Bassey offered a different account of the events leading up to the punch, accusing Smart of playing dirty throughout the game. He said Smart had grabbed his knee while he attempted to set a screen in the first half. Bassey also recalled Smart grabbing his hand during a sequence when he believed he was seeking a rebound before heading back on defense.
Describing the punch as "fake toughness," Bassey said Smart approached him and swung. He said the action did not surprise him and expressed the view that Smart was trying to get himself removed from the game rather than continue playing.
Smart, a 12-year veteran, signed with Houston in free agency over the summer. Through nine appearances for the Rockets, including one start, he has averaged 8.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
