Marcus Smart Throws Punch, Bassey Calls Him “Fake Tough Guy”
First the heated exchange, then the punch, and finally the ejection. Marcus Smart loses his temper against the Warriors, but Charles Bassey has an interesting theory about what really happened
Marcus Smart lost his cool, threw a punch at Charles Bassey and headed straight to the locker room before the referees had even decided to eject him.
The incident took place during the Houston Rockets’ 115-108 win over the Golden State Warriors, sparking a heated confrontation on the court and some even stronger words after the game.
Smart Throws a Punch at Bassey and Walks Off
It all started with 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter, following a fast-break basket by Amen Thompson.
Smart and Bassey got into a face-to-face confrontation, exchanged words and quickly saw tensions escalate.
Yaxel Lendeborg tried to separate them, but Smart threw a right-handed punch that narrowly missed the Warriors center’s nose, as Bassey managed to step back and avoid a more serious impact.
Other players immediately stepped in to prevent the situation from escalating further, but Smart already seemed to know what was coming.
Instead of waiting for the officials to review the play, he simply headed straight to the locker room.
After reviewing the footage, the referees assessed Smart a Flagrant 2 foul, resulting in an automatic ejection.
Bassey Calls Out Smart: “He’s a Fake Tough Guy”
After the game, Charles Bassey didn’t hold back.
The Golden State big man accused Smart of playing dirty from the opening minutes, describing several incidents that took place before the punch.
I remember in the first half, I was trying to set a screen and he grabbed my knee. He was playing dirty. Then, when I was going for a rebound, he was holding my hand while I was trying to get back on defense. At one point, he came up to me and threw a punch. That’s just ridiculous. He’s a fake tough guy
Charles Bassey
And according to Bassey, Smart wasn’t particularly interested in finishing the game anyway.
I wasn’t surprised. I knew he was going to do something. I think he was just looking for a way to get ejected. He wanted to chill, he didn’t feel like playing basketball. He’s a fake tough guy
Charles Bassey
That’s a pretty strong accusation, and Rockets head coach Ime Udoka offered some additional context after speaking with Smart following the game.
Smart said something to him, and Bassey responded, ‘So what are you gonna do about it?’ And he did it
Ime Udoka
Well, that’s certainly one way to settle an argument.
Just not a particularly smart one.