NBA penalizes multiple players along with a few coaches following an on-court dispute in Houston on Dec 29.
On Sunday’s match between the Miami Heat and Houston Rockets, the NBA suspended Rockets’ Amen Thompson for two games and Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier for one game after an altercation on the court. This on-court scuffle concluded with six people getting discharged in the final moments of the Heat’s 104-100 win.
Amen Thompson, who set off the contention by chucking Tyler Herro to the ground, is suspended for two games, while Terry Rozier has been suspended for one game. Jalen Green is fined $35,000 and Herro is imposed with a $25,000 fine. Due to the suspensions, Rozier will lose around $143,242 in salary while Thompson will suffer the loss of about $127,586 from his salary.
Not only this, but the league also fined Rockets’ coach Ime Udoka $50,000 for “verbally abusing a game official and not leaving the court in a timely manner.” Ben Sullivan, Rockets assistant coach was also ejected from the game, however, did not get fined.
On the other hand, from a separate incident from the game, squabbles started in the remaining 47.1 seconds when guard Fred VanVleet strived to inbound the ball for the Rockets. Even though VanVleet tried to call a timeout, referee Marc Davis called for a five-second violation instead. This led to VanVleet arguing with Davis, but things turned bitter when he accidentally bumped into him and was immediately ejected. Fred VanVleet is also fined $35,000 by the league.
Thompson, who is suspended for two games, will serve his suspension on Jan 1 against the Dallas Mavericks and on Jan 3 when the Rockets host the Boston Celtics. Rozier will serve his suspension on Jan 1 when the Heat host the New Orleans Pelicans.
