Houston Rockets guard Marcus Smart was ejected Wednesday night after throwing a punch at Golden State Warriors center Charles Bassey during the Warriors’ 115-108 win in Houston.
The two got tangled up while competing for a rebound during a Warriors offensive possession in the third quarter. As Golden State pushed the ball up the court, Smart and Bassey continued exchanging words, and Smart turned and threw a punch that never landed. Officials broke up the situation before it escalated further. Bassey kept his arms at his side and did not retaliate.
Bassey said he was simply going for an offensive rebound when Smart grabbed his hand, and that Smart kept grabbing at him after the Rockets took possession.
“He’s been playing dirty the whole game, man,” Bassey said, adding that Smart also grabbed his knee.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Bassey was blunt in his assessment of the incident.
“That was weak,” Bassey said, per ESPN. “I just think that, honestly, that was fake toughness. It didn’t surprise me. I knew he was going to do something.”
Bassey questioned whether Smart was even trying to compete on the floor.
“I don’t think he was trying to play,” Bassey said. “I think he was trying to get himself out of the game. If he was trying to play, he wouldn’t do that. I think he was trying to chill. He wasn’t trying to hoop, bro. That was fake — fake toughness.”
Smart is in his 13th NBA season and his first with the Rockets after spending the 2025-26 campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bassey, who was traded to Golden State from the Boston Celtics last season, is in his sixth NBA season.
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