Houston Rockets guard Marcus Smart suspended three games for punch against Warriors
(Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle) Houston Rockets guard Marcus Smart was suspended for three games without pay for throwing a punch that made contact with Warriors big man Charles Bassey in Wednesday's win over Golden State, the NBA announced Thursday.
Key points
- Rockets coach Ime Udoka, who spoke to reporters after speaking with Smart, said Bassey had wrapped up the Rockets' guard's elbow - which Smart injured earlier in the season.
- In nine games he is averaging 8.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game for the Rockets, who are 9-3 and in third place in the Western Conference.
- During a confrontation in the third quarter of the Rockets' home win on Wednesday, Smart delivered a blow that brushed Bassey's nose.
Houston Rockets guard Marcus Smart (36) is taken out of the game agianst the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center in Houston on Wednesday, Nov.
Additional details
- They exchanged heated words as Golden State's Yaxel Lendeborg tried to separate them before Smart unleashed his punch.
- Smart will begin serving his suspension on November 13, when the Rockets host the Utah Jazz.
- Smart was charged with a flagrant two foul and ejected from the game after the punch.
- Smart, a 12-year NBA veteran, joined the Rockets as a free agent in the off-season.
- Bassey told reporters that Smart confronted him and added that Smart "had been playing dirty all game." "I don't think he was trying to play," Bassey said.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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