Rockets Marcus Smart suspended three games by NBA

Marcus Smart of the Houston Rockets was suspended yesterday for three games without pay for throwing a punch at Charles Bassey in Wednesday night’s victory over the the Golden State Warriors. The incident happened in the third quarter of the Rockets’ win, and Smart was ejected and given a flagrant 2.

Smart and Bassey begun arguing after an Amen Thompson drive, and then a Smart right hand connected with Bassey. Houston’s head coach Ime Udoka blamed Bassey for running his mouth, however, Bassey claims it was Smart who initiated the incident by “playing dirty the whole game.”

He said:

“I remember the first half, I was trying to set a screen. He grabbed my knee. He was playing dirty. I think I was…