Image Source: X
[Saba Sports News] It didn’t take much for Fred VanVleet to be ejected during Sunday’s game between the Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
With 47.1 seconds remaining, Heat forward Nikola Jovic sank a three-pointer to put Miami ahead 98-94, prompting a Rockets timeout. When play resumed, VanVleet attempted to inbound the ball but couldn’t get a pass off in time due to strong defensive pressure from the Heat.
Referee Marc Davis called a five-second violation, and as VanVleet tried to argue, he made slight contact with Davis. The veteran official immediately ejected VanVleet for the bump.
The game’s tensions escalated further moments later when Tyler Herro and Amen Thompson got tangled near midcourt, leading to a scuffle.
Thompson pulled Herro to the ground, sparking a full-blown altercation. The fallout saw Thompson, Jalen Green, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, assistant coach Ben Sullivan, and Heat guard Terry Rozier all ejected.
Herro led all scorers with 27 points, sealing the Heat’s 104-100 victory. For the Rockets, it marked another frustrating close loss at home. Just days earlier, they squandered a 16-point lead to the Minnesota Timberwolves, capped by Anthony Edwards’ game-winning three-pointer.