In some of the hottest preseason buildups ever, Houston Rockets encountered Miami heats and brawl became fully blown, resulting in four players getting kicked out by two coaches.
Amid those expelled were Tyler Herro of the heat and Amen Thompson from the Rockets, both of whom tagged along the whole inflamed exchange.
The incident occurred in the second half when a foul was committed on Thompson by Herro. The whole activity was carried out and players from both sides quickly gathered near midcourt to culminate in an action. While the officials and coaching staff would attempt to intervene, this altercation was not readily defused.
Finally, after a lengthy review session, referees assessed technical fouls and ejections on the persons of Tyler Herro and Amen for their parts in the fracas. Along with the two, also included in the ejection list are two other players-Kevin Porter Jr. from Houston and Caleb Martin from Miami-who were seen throwing verbal jabs and shoves during the melee.
The coaching staff wasn’t spared either as emotions from the bench spilled out onto the floor. Both Ben Sullivan, assistant coach for the Rockets, and Chris Quinn, assistant coach for the Heat, were ejected for leaving the bench area and further escalating the scene.
Postgame Reactions
Speaking after the game, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said he was disappointed in the incident but lauded his players. “We never want things to escalate like that, but emotions run high in games like these.” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said something similar, too, saying the main focus should be to steep emotions.
The NBA must review its video footage and move towards fines and suspensions of sorts for people. Preseason games usually serve as the arena for testing up-and-coming talent, but here was an outside drama that took away from the game itself.
In preparation for the regular season, both teams are likely to be reminded about the league’s no-frawl policy. For now, fans are left with a memorable and debatable incident to chat about as the preseason winds down.
