Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson has been suspended two games, while Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier will miss one game as a result of their respective roles in an on-court altercation between Miami and Houston on Dec. 29.
The incident occurred with just under a minute remaining, as Thompson body slammed Heat guard Tyler Herro to the ground after the two were initially grabbing jerseys and battling for an inbounds pass.
Herro ($25,000) and Houston guard Jalen Green ($35,000) have been fined for their involvement,.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was deemed to have verbally abused a referee and failing to leave the court in a timely manner after being ejected, so he has also been hit with a $50,000 fine. His assistant, Ben Sullivan, was also ejected from the game but did not receive any further penalty.
Prior to any of this, Fred VanVleet was also ejected from the game for making “reckless contact” with a referee after the Rockets were called for a five-second violation. He has received a fine of $35,000.
Thompson Will Miss Key Games
As a result of the suspension, Houston will be without Thompson’s services for games on Jan. 1 against the Dallas Mavericks and Jan. 3 against the Boston Celtics.
Thompson has emerged as one of the best defenders in the league and is averaging 11.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 32 games on the season.
The Rockets (21-11) are third in the West and just 1.5 games ahead of the Mavericks (20-13). While Luka Doncic will be missing due to a calf injury, Thompson would have been a key factor in trying to slow Kyrie Irving. Spencer Dinwiddie, Klay Thompson and P.J. Washington have also stepped into bigger roles amid Doncic’s absence.
His role would have been even more critical against the Celtics, as he would have been primarily tasked with guarding Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Rozier Absence Likely Not Costly
Besides the fact that Rozier has not been a major contributor for the Heat this season, he will serve his suspension on Jan. 1 against the 5-28 New Orleans Pelicans.
At 16-14, the Heat are tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the sixth seed in the East.
