Former Rockets player prepared to pay fines for team’s fight

An ugly fight broke out late in Sunday night’s game between the Miami Heat and Houston Rockets, and Vernon Maxwell is proud of the way his former team handled itself.

The Heat were leading the Rockets 99-94 with just over 30 seconds left at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, when Tyler Herro and Amen Thompson got into a scuffle on an inbound play. Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and slammed the Heat guard to the ground, which led to an ugly scrum. You can see the video here.

Miami guard Terry Rozier immediately came to Herro’s aid and tackled Thompson. Jalen Green also got involved in the fight. After the officiating crew reviewed the incident, Thompson, Herro, Rozier and Green were all ejected. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and assistant Ben Sullivan were also thrown out of the game.

Most people would agree that Thompson’s takedown of Herro is what really escalated things. Maxwell, who was a guard with the Rockets in the 1990s and won two NBA titles with the team, defended Thompson. Maxwell offered to pay the fines for Thompson any other Houston players who came to their teammate’s aid.

“I love me some Amen Thompson. Put his fine on my tab Rockets. And I’ll take care of anyone else’s fine that stands up for their Rockets teammates,” Maxwell wrote on X.

I love me some Amen Thompson. Put his fine on my tab Rockets. And I’ll take care of anyone else’s fine that stands up for their Rockets teammates.

— Vernon Maxwell (@VernonMaxwell11) December 30, 2024

The Heat held on to win 104-100. Herro had a game-high 27 points on 10/17 shooting to go along with 6 rebounds and 9 assists. He had a savage message about the incident after the game.

There will certainly be fines handed down from the melee, so perhaps Maxwell will find a way to chip in.