HOUSTON — The NBA on Thursday docked Houston Rockets guard Marcus Smart three games without pay, ruling that his punch landed on Warriors big man Charles Bassey during Wednesday night’s game.
League basketball operations chief James Jones handed down the penalty. The swing came with 21 seconds left in the third quarter in Houston, in a game the Rockets won. Officials called Smart for a Flagrant Foul 2 and tossed him from the game.
The two had tangled for position near the basket before the blow, which grazed Bassey’s nose. It was the 13th ejection of Smart’s career. He left with six points in 17 minutes, while Bassey had seven points and grabbed six rebounds across 13 minutes off the bench.
The suspension starts Friday with Houston’s home game against the Utah Jazz. Smart, 32 and a former Defensive Player of the Year, will also sit out games at Washington on Sunday and at Miami on Monday and is eligible again on Nov. 18 for a game with the Indiana Pacers.
