He was trying to get himself out: Warriors’ Charles Bassey replies after Rockets’ Marcus Smart gets ejected from game for trying to punch him

The Warriors’ game with the Rockets on Wednesday, November 11, took a turn for the worse when the latter’s Marcus Smart got ejected. Smart had an altercation with Warriors’ Charles Bassey, which ultimately ended with him throwing a punch.

Smart got a flagrant 2 foul and an automatic ejection from the game, however he did not wait for the official to announce this and walked off himself. According to ESPN, the incident occurred during the third quarter after Rockets’ Amen Thompson scored a bucket adding to their lead.

Smart and Bassey got face-to-face after the play and got into it, while Warriors Yaxel Lendeborg tried to separate the two. The altercation ended with Smart throwing a punch with his right hand and Bassey moving back to avoid the blow. The two were quickly separated by their teammates. The video of the fight has since gone viral on social media.

‘Fake toughness’, Bassey replies after the game

After the game, Bassey spoke to reporters in the Warriors’ locker room, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, he said that Smart played the whole game “dirty”. Bassey further claimed that during the first half Smart grabbed his knees.

The Warriors' Centre added that the punch was “fake toughness” and "weak", saying “I don’t think he was trying to play. I think he was trying to get himself out of the game. He wasn't trying to hoop.”

This was Smart’s 13th ejection

The foul on Wednesday marked Smart’s 13th such ejection from games during his career. Most recently he was ejected from a game when he played for the Boston Celtics in March 2023. That ejection was a result of an altercation with Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young.

Smart pulled Young to the floor during the incident and both players were handed technical fouls. However following the game Smart was fined $25,000 for initiating the altercation. Before this Smart was ejected in January 2023 from a game against Thunder. He was handed a double technical foul for a verbal altercation with match official Jenna Holtkamp.

Also read: Tried to laugh it off, but something needs to be said: Stephen Curry releases statement supporting wife Ayesha Curry amid backlash over her onscreen kiss

The Rockets vs Warriors game saw another controversy

The game between the Rockets and the Warriors was no short of controversy, with the altercation and Stephen Curry leaving over an abdominal injury. However, another video from the game went viral on social media, with Warriors’ Daymond Green getting two fans ejected from the court at the Toyota Centre in Houston. This reportedly was a result of the fans heckling Green.