Heat and Rockets Rumble: Late Game Brawl Ends In Multiple Ejections

Source: Alex Slitz / Getty

Things got physical during the Sunday night matchup between the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat, as a face-off between Amen Thompson and Tyler Herro ignited a fight that led to six ejections in the final seconds of the Heat’s 104-100 win over the Rockets.

Thompson and Herro locked in as Miami tried to inbound the ball with 35 seconds left and a 99-94 lead. Thompson grabbed Herro and threw him by the jersey, a move that referee Marc Davis described as more of a “body slams.”

Things only got worse from there as players from both teams jumped in the melee.

From Yahoo Sports:

It took several assistant coaches, staff members and even arena security to diffuse the situation. Herro was seen clapping at Thompson as they were both being held back.

Of course, no good brawl goes unpunished: Thompson, Herro and Udoka were ejected, as were Heat guard Terry Rozier, Rockets guard Jalen Green, and Ben Sullivan, assistant coach for the Rockets.

“I didn’t see it live, but I rewatched it,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “They were in each other’s face, bumping chests a little bit, and one guy’s stronger than the other.”

Source: Alex Slitz / Getty

It’s been an eventful month for H-Town sports. On December 3rd, Azeez Al-Shaair of the Houston Texans was hit with a three-game suspension by the NFL, and the league noted Al-Shaair’s multiple offenses for personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules violations in recent seasons as deciding factors in their ruling.

During the first half of the Texans’ 23-20 win two days earlier, Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence scrambled before sliding while the ball was in play. With the slide already in progress, Al-Shaair went in on a tackle leading with his forearm, resulting in Lawrence’s head slamming against the field. In response, Jaguars tight end Evan Engram pushed Al-Shaair resulting in a brawl between the Texans and Jags.

On December 21st, Tank Dell went to the ground in pain following a touchdown catch in the third quarter of the Texans’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs, holding his knee. Dell’s injury came just as Houston was getting used to having Nico Collins back in the mix, and as they push forward without Stefon Diggs, who was hurt in the Texans’ 23-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8. Prior to the injury, Diggs had 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight appearances.