During Sunday’s Miami Heat showdown against the Houston Rockets, forward Amen Thompson threw guard Tyler Herro to the ground within the closing minute of the game.
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The Heat were up 99 to 94 with only 35 seconds left when the altercation occurred. Suddenly, Thompson grabbed Herro by his jersey and, from the words of referee Marc Davis, “body slammed” him.
Following the throw down, an all out brawl started resulting in six total ejections. Along with Thompson and Herro, Rockets coach Ime Udoka, Heat guard Terry Rozier, Rockets guard Jalen Green, and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan were all ejected as well.
“I didn’t see it live, but I re-watched it,” Udoka said following the brawl. “They were in each other’s face, bumping chests a little bit, and one guy’s stronger than the other.”
The incident came after the Heat regained the lead in the second half. Herro lead the comeback, scoring 27 points and adding nine assists and six rebounds.
“Guess that’s what’s happens when someone’s scoring, throwing dimes, doing the whole thing,” Herro commented after the altercation. “I’d get mad, too.”
He added, “Just two competitors going at it, playing basketball. It was a regular game that we were playing throughout.”
Despite the brawl, Miami took home the win 104 to 100. The win served as a well deserved victory after losing in Atlanta 120 to 110 the day prior.
“They’re top two, three in the West,” Herro said. “Very good defense. Got a bunch of young, athletic guys that can really play, so that’s a good win for us.”
“That’s a stepping stone,” he continued. “We go 2-1 on the road. Put ourselves in a position to win yesterday, and I like how it’s going. We just got to continue to keep getting better.”