HOUSTON — Rockets forward Armen Thompson threw Heat guard Tyler Herro to the floor, sparking an altercation that resulted in six ejections in the final minutes of Miami's 104-100 win over Houston on Sunday.
With 35 seconds left and Miami leading 99-94, Thompson and Herro tangled as Miami tried to inbound the ball.
Thompson grabbed Herro's jersey and threw him, which referee Mark Davis described as Thompson “body slamming Herro.”
“I didn't see it live, but I watched it again,” Rockets coach Iim Udoka said. “They bumped each other in the face and chest a little bit, but one guy was stronger than the other.”
Herro, Thompson and Udoka were ejected, as were Terry Rozier of the Heat, Jaylen Green of the Rockets and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan.
Davis said Green and Rozier escalated the altercation, while Sullivan was assessed a technical foul and ejected for unsportsmanlike remarks because the referee was trying to change instructions from Rockets forward Alperen Sengan. .
The altercation occurred after Miami came back from a 12-point deficit in the second half and regained the lead thanks to Houston missing 11 consecutive shots in the fourth quarter. Herro led all scorers with 27 points, adding nine assists and six rebounds and was key to the comeback.
He believed that was what was frustrating Thompson.
“I think that’s what happens when somebody’s scoring points, throwing pennies, doing all that stuff,” Herro said. “I'd be angry too.”
Herro said he did not speak to Thompson after Sunday's game and that there was no pre-existing bad blood between the two, as Thompson did not speak to reporters.
“It's just two competitors playing basketball and working on it,” Herro said. “It was just a normal game the whole time.”
Houston's Fred VanVleet was ejected just before the game, and Davis said he made contact after VanVleet was cited for a five-second violation.
Miami's victory came 24 hours after a 120-110 loss in Atlanta. Herro was proud of his team for playing against one of the NBA's best teams this season, as the Heat were without second-leading scorer Jimmy Butler for five straight games.
“They're top two or three in the West,” Herro said. “It was a very good defense. We have a lot of young, athletic guys who can really play, so it's a good win for us. It's a stepping stone. We're 2-1 on the road. We put ourselves in a position to win yesterday. We were able to put it there and I like how it played out. We have to continue to improve.”
