Marcus Smart has been suspended for three games without pay after throwing a punch that grazed Golden State Warriors center Charles Bassey during the Houston Rockets’ 115-108 win.
The incident happened in the third quarter, as the two players jostled for position beneath the basket. They exchanged words as they moved away from the play, and Smart swung before teammates, coaches and officials stepped in.
Smart left the court before referees finished reviewing the play. He was given a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected for the 13th time in his career. He finished with six points, two rebounds and one assist in 17 minutes.
He will miss Houston’s home game against the Utah Jazz on Friday, followed by road games in Washington on Sunday and Miami on Monday. Smart can return Nov. 18 against the Indiana Pacers.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Smart told him Bassey had grabbed his previously injured elbow during the altercation. Smart confronted Bassey, who allegedly responded, “What you gonna do?”
“And he did it,” Udoka told reporters.
Bassey, who had seven points and six rebounds in 13 minutes, said Smart had played dirty earlier in the game. He accused Smart of grabbing his knee while he tried to set a screen in the first half.
Bassey also acknowledged that he had tried to provoke Smart, saying he expected him to react. He suggested Smart wanted to get himself taken out of the game rather than keep playing.
The suspension is the third of Smart’s 13-year NBA career. He previously received one-game bans for hitting Matt Bonner in 2015 and threatening an official in 2021. He has also been fined more than a dozen times, including $50,000 for shoving Joel Embiid in 2019.
Houston held on for the win. Smart, meanwhile, will miss three games and lose a significant amount of salary.
