Charles Bassey didn’t back down after the dust-up with Marcus Smart on Wednesday night, and he made that much clear afterward.
With the shot clock winding down in the third quarter and Houston ahead 82-76, Smart sprinted in from the backcourt, shoved Bassey, and then threw a punch that caught the Warriors center in the face. Smart was ejected on the spot.
The sequence came as the two were battling for a loose ball on the other end. According to Ime Udoka, Smart reacted to what he saw as rough play from Bassey, including contact that put Smart’s injured elbow in danger. Bassey, though, said he was only matching the physicality he’d already been dealing with.
“He's been playing dirty the whole game. I remember, in the first half, I was trying to save the ball and he was grabbing my knee.
He was playing dirty. I was trying to get the rebound, he was grabbing my hand, and I was trying to run back on defense so [I extended my arms],” Bassey told reporters after the game, via Anthony Slater of ESPN.
Bassey didn’t stop there.
“He got up on me and swung. Obviously, that was weak.
Fake toughness. I don't think he was trying to play.
I think he was trying to get himself out of the game. He wasn't trying to hoop.”
Officials hit Smart with a flagrant foul penalty two, which sent him straight to the locker room. It also added another chapter to a career that has seen his emotions boil over before, including a physical confrontation with a fan during his Oklahoma State days.
“He wasn't trying to hoop… fake toughness.”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 12, 2026
Charles Bassey speaks on the altercation with Marcus Smart 😳
(via @anthonyVslater) pic.twitter.com/GS6kQvi4HF https://t.co/xK73gAY5D1
Given that Smart threw and landed a punch, a suspension from the NBA would not be a surprise.
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