The NBA on Thursday suspended Houston Rockets guard Marcus Smart for three games for punching Golden State Warriors center Charles Bassey.
Smart will begin serving his suspension on Friday, Nov. 13, when the Rockets host the Utah Jazz. The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year will remain suspended for the games against the Washington Wizards on Sunday and the Miami Heat on Monday.
The veteran guard was ejected late in the third quarter of Wednesday’s 115–108 win over the Warriors after grazing Bassey’s nose with a right hook. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka defended Smart, suggesting Bassey provoked the punch with his trash talk.
“So he said something to him, and Bassey said, ‘What you gonna do?’ and he did it,” Udoka said, via ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
Marcus Smart Irks Warriors With Actions
Bassey accused Smart of playing dirty “the whole game” and called him out for his “fake toughness” after the game.
“I remember the first half, I was trying to set a screen [and] he grabbed my knee. He was playing dirty,” Bassey said of Smart.
“I think I was trying to get a rebound. He was grabbing my hand, and I was trying to run back on defense. Then, he got up on me and just swung. Obviously, that was weak. I just think that was, honestly, fake toughness.
“It didn’t surprise me. I knew he was going to do something. I don’t think he was trying to play. I think he was trying to get himself out of the game. I think he was trying to chill. He wasn’t trying to hoop. That was fake toughness.”
How Much Money Will Marcus Smart Lose?
Smart stands to lose more than $120,000 from his unpaid suspension — a costly hit to the two-year, $12.4M contract he signed with the Rockets this offseason.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks broke down the financial ramifactions of the suspension.
3 game suspension for Marcus Smart will cost the guard $125,462.
Houston will receive a tax variance credit or $62,731.
They were $14,077 below the tax prior to the suspension.
Houston will receive a tax variance credit or $62,731.
They were $14,077 below the tax prior to the suspension.
Smart has averaged 8.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals over nine games with the Rockets. He has shot a career-high 40% from deep while making 1.8 triples per game. The Rockets (8-3) will most definitely miss his leadership and toughness, but Ime Udoka’s team has enough bench depth to overcome its next three opponents.
NBA Announces Marcus Smart Decision After Warriors Incident