Marcus Smart will miss three games after the NBA suspended the player for attempting to punch Charles Bassey, nbamaniacs reported.
The incident took place during the final minute of the third quarter in a matchup between the Houston Rockets and the San Francisco team. Amen Thompson drove to the basket before Smart and Bassey ended up face-to-face exchanging words while Yaxel Lendeborg tried to separate them.
Smart then threw a right-hand punch that grazed Bassey’s nose as he backpedaled.
Referees whistled Smart for a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected him from the floor. The league levied a three-game ban, sidelining the player for home matchups against the Utah Jazz on Friday, the Washington Wizards on Sunday, and the Miami Heat on Monday.
Smart brings 12 years of experience to Texas
Smart joined the Texas franchise during the summer as an unrestricted free agent, bringing 12 years of league experience to the roster. He has averaged 8.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals across nine appearances this season.
Bassey calls out physical play
Bassey asserted that Smart’s conduct throughout the contest made the altercation predictable.
“He was playing dirty the whole game,” Bassey said, according to nbamaniacs.
“I remember in the first half, I tried to set a screen and he grabbed my knee. He was playing dirty. I think he was trying to grab a rebound. He was grabbing my hand and I was trying to get back on defense. Then he walked up to me and just threw a punch. Obviously, it was an unfortunate action. Honestly, I feel like it was a display of fake toughness. I wasn’t surprised. I knew he was going to do something. He had no intention of playing basketball. It was pure fake toughness.”