Rockets G Marcus Smart Ejected After Throwing Punch At Warriors' Charles Bassey

Marcus Smart missed the fourth quarter of the Houston Rockets' game against the Golden State Warriors. The NBA might decide he needs to miss even more time.

The veteran guard was ejected on a Flagrant 2 foul after throwing a punch at Warriors center Charles Bassey in the final minutes of the third quarter. The dispute appeared to be instigated when the two players got tangled up on a rebound, with Smart throwing the punch moments later.

Smart clearly knew what was coming after the punch, as he immediately walked off the court rather than wait to hear the officials' ruling. Judging from the replay, it's unclear if the punch even made contact.

Per Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said after the game that Smart confronted Bassey about wrapping up his elbow on the rebound, to which Bassey replied, "What you gonna do?" Smart responded with the punch.

After the game, Bassey called Smart’s punch “fake toughness.”

“He’s been playing dirty the whole game,” Bassey said, according to Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko. “I don’t think he was trying to play, I think he was trying to get kicked out of the game.”

Not only was Smart ejected, he can also expect a mandatory fine for the flagrant foul as well as a likely suspension from the NBA. The league's rulebook is fairly clear on that matter:

Any player who throws a punch, whether it connects or not, has committed an unsportsmanlike act. He will be ejected following confirmation during review by instant replay and suspended for a minimum of one game.

Smart exited the game with 6 points on 2-for-2 shooting (both 3-pointers), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 4 personal fouls in 17 minutes. His early exit didn't prevent the Rockets from winning 115-108, in a game that also saw the Warriors lose Stephen Curry to an injury in the first quarter.