Rockets guard Marcus Smart was ejected Wednesday night after running at Warriors center Charles Bassey, shoving him and throwing a punch that caught him in the face. It happened in the third quarter with Houston up 82-76, and Bassey had plenty to say afterward, as first reported by ClutchPoints.
Officials hit Smart with a flagrant 2. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Smart took exception to Bassey’s physical play putting his already-hurt elbow at risk. Bassey’s version? Smart had been grabbing at him all night.
“Obviously, that was weak. Fake toughness,” Bassey said, via ESPN’s Anthony Slater. He added that he didn’t think Smart was even trying to play.
The IAHHM Take
Smart has built a whole career on being the toughest guy on the floor, so getting called “fake tough” by a backup big is a different kind of hit. And Bassey won the night’s war of words without throwing anything back.
The bigger issue is what the league does next. A punch that lands almost always draws a suspension, and ClutchPoints expects one here. Houston won the game 115-108, but losing a veteran guard for any stretch hurts a team trying to keep pace out West.
For the Warriors, it was a rough night all around. They lost the game, lost their eight-game streak, and lost Steph Curry to an abdominal injury in the first quarter. Bassey standing his ground was one of the only bright spots.
Catch up on how the Dubs got rolling before this trip in our Warriors win-streak recap.
Your call: How many games should Smart get, and was Bassey right to call him out publicly?
Source: ClutchPoints
