Marcus Smart’s night against the Golden State Warriors went sideways in a hurry Wednesday, and it ended with a punch that missed but still made plenty of noise.
The Houston Rockets guard was ejected after getting into it with Warriors center Charles Bassey, a sequence that turned a routine playoff-style scrap into a clear disciplinary issue. Smart’s swing didn’t connect, so Bassey escaped the kind of damage that could have changed the story even more dramatically. Still, it was a reckless move from the former Defensive Player of the Year and one that all but guaranteed an ejection.
The trouble started late in the third quarter when Gui Santos went up for a layup and missed. On the rebound battle, Smart and Bassey got tied up and wound up with their arms locked together.
The play spilled into transition, where Amen Thompson finished with a layup. Right after that, Smart and Bassey came face to face again, and Smart threw the punch.
There was no suspense about the outcome from there. Smart seemed to know exactly what was coming and headed back to the locker room before the referee even made it official.
Bassey didn’t hold back after the game, either. He accused Smart of playing dirty and acting tough without backing it up.
"He's been playing dirty the whole game, man. In the first half, he grabbed my knee, just playing dirty.
He was trying to get a rebound; he was grabbing my hand... He just came up to me and just swung...
Fake toughness," Bassey said right after the game.
Now the NBA is expected to step in with punishment for Smart, with a fine and suspension likely on the table. The Rockets have already seen the league come down on a player for a similar incident, with Amen Thompson suspended for two games in the 2025-26 season after a scuffle.
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