A slight nudge was all it took for Fred VanVleet to get ejected Sunday in the Houston Rockets’ game against the Miami Heat at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Heat forward Nikola Jovic hit a three with 47.1 seconds left to put Miami up 98-94, prompting the Rockets to call a timeout. VanVleet was tasked to inbound the ball from the sideline. VanVleet could not get a clean pass off in time due to some excellent ball denial by the Heat. The Rockets guard tried to call a timeout, but it was too late. Referee Marc Davis called a five-second violation.
As VanVleet tried to argue the call, he gave Davis a little bump. The veteran official turned around and ejected VanVleet for the contact.
Marc Davis ejected Fred VanVleet for accidentally bumping into him 😭
The NBA is cooked pic.twitter.com/f3F8dOdiSs
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) December 30, 2024
Tensions remained high even after VanVleet was escorted off the playing court. A few moments later, Heat star Tyler Herro and Rockets wing Amen Thompson got tangled up near midcourt. A full-on fracas broke out as Thompson pulled Herro to the ground.
Amen Thompson and Tyler Herro fight 👀 pic.twitter.com/VGp1KBXzJH
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 30, 2024
Thompson, Rockets guard Jalen Green, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan, and Heat guard Terry Rozier were all ejected from the contest.
Herro led all scorers with 27 points in the 104-100 Heat win.
Houston’s players were probably in a dour mood given that it was the second straight close game they’ve lost at home. The Rockets are just days removed from blowing a 16-point lead in the final minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves, capped off by an go-ahead three-pointer from Anthony Edwards.
