MIAMI — The NBA has suspended Houston’s Amen Thompson for two games and Miami’s Terry Rozier for one game for their role in a skirmish in the final moments of the Rockets-Heat game Sunday night.
The league also levied $145,000 in fines Tuesday for that contest. Houston coach Ime Udoka was fined $50,000 for verbally abusing a game official and failing to leave the court on time, while the Rockets’ Jalen Green was fined $35,000 and Miami’s Tyler Herro was fined $25,000. dollars for his role in the fight.
And in a separate incident just before the fight, Houston’s Fred VanVleet was fined $35,000 for making contact with referee Marc Davis.
Due to the suspensions, Rozier will lose about $143,242 in salary and Thompson will lose about $127,586.
It was a wild final minute of the game, with seven ejections (VanVleet, Thompson, Rozier, Udoka, Houston assistant coach Ben Sullivan, Green and Herro). VanVleet was the first to go, being ejected for making contact with Davis after a five-second call was called against the Rockets.
And a few seconds later, things boiled over. Thompson threw Herro onto the court after they exchanged words, Rozier entered the fray immediately afterward and many players from both teams engaged in shoving, shoving and yelling.
Herro led all scorers with 27 points and added nine assists and six rebounds and said after the game that he thought that frustrated Thompson.
“I guess that’s what happens when someone scores, throws dimes, does everything,” Herro said. “I’d be angry too.”
Miami ended up winning 104-100, after a late 19-5 run by the Heat helped them escape what was a seven-point deficit with seven minutes left. Houston led by as many as 12 points midway through the third quarter.
“I think they lost control of their feelings when the game started to swing a little bit in our direction,” Herro said Tuesday. “And then obviously with VanVleet being ejected, you heard some words coming from the sidelines to the officials. They were definitely frustrated.”
Herro said he suffered a bruise near one of his hips from the fall, but expects to play Wednesday against the Pelicans.
