Marcus Smart Ejected After Punch to Charles Bassey's Nose

An attempted right-hand punch to an opponent’s nose landed Houston Rockets guard Marcus Smart an ejection during a 115-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, Yahoo Sports reported.

Smart and Warriors center Charles Bassey tangled in the post on the opposite end of the court as Amen Thompson raced toward the other basket for a fast-break layup.

As both players trailed the play while exchanging animated words, Smart swung his right hand, making direct contact with Bassey’s nose. Officials immediately assessed Smart a flagrant two foul, sending him straight to the locker room before referees even announced the penalty.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka said he spoke with Smart after the final buzzer. According to Udoka, Smart explained that Bassey had wrapped up Smart’s elbow earlier in the contest—an elbow Smart injured earlier this season—during the previous sequence under the basket. When the two players ran back down the floor, Smart addressed the physical play with Bassey.

Marcus Smart ejected for throwing punch at Charles Bassey — ESPN

“Bassey said, ‘What you gonna do?’ And he did it,” Udoka said.

Bassey acknowledged the confrontation after the game but offered a sharp counter-perspective on his opponent’s approach.

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“I don’t think he was trying to play,” Bassey told Yahoo Sports. “I think he was trying to get himself out of the game. If he was trying to play, he wouldn’t have done that. I think he was trying to chill, he wasn’t trying to hoop. That was fake toughness.”

Smart finished his night with six points in 17 minutes of action.