Heat-Rockets brawl explodes after Tyler Herro thrown to ground

During a heated moment in the closing minute of the game, Rockets forward Amen Thompson threw Heat guard Tyler Herro to the floor, leading to an altercation that resulted in six ejections in Miami’s 104-100 victory over Houston on Sunday.

The incident occurred as Thompson and Herro became entangled as Miami was about to inbound the ball, with Miami leading 99-94 with 35 seconds left.

Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and threw him to the ground, with referee Marc Davis describing it as Thompson “body slams Herro.”

Rockets coach Ime Udoka commented on the incident, stating, “I didn’t see it live, but I re-watched it. They were in each other’s face, bumping chests a little bit, and one guy’s stronger than the other.”

Herro, Thompson, and Udoka were ejected from the game, along with Heat guard Terry Rozier, Rockets guard Jalen Green, and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan.

Davis mentioned that Green and Rozier escalated the altercation, while Sullivan received a technical foul and was ejected for unsportsmanlike comments as the referee tried to intervene with the Rockets’ Alperen Sengun.

The altercation took place after Miami made a comeback from 12 points down in the second half to secure the lead, with Houston missing 11 consecutive shots in the fourth quarter. Herro played a key role in the comeback, leading all scorers with 27 points and contributing nine assists and six rebounds.

Herro believed that Thompson’s frustration stemmed from his performance on the court.

“Guess that’s what’s happens when someone’s scoring, throwing dimes, doing the whole thing,” Herro said. “I’d get mad, too.”

Herro mentioned that he had never interacted with Thompson before, and Thompson did not speak to reporters after the game, indicating that there was no prior animosity between the two players.

“Just two competitors going at it, playing basketball,” Herro added. “It was a regular game that we were playing throughout.”

Prior to the altercation, Houston’s Fred VanVleet had already been ejected from the game for making contact with the referee after being called for a 5-second violation.

Miami’s victory came after a loss to Atlanta the previous day. The Heat were without Jimmy Butler for a fifth consecutive game, making Herro proud of how the team performed against one of the top teams in the NBA.

“They’re top two, three in the West,” Herro said. “Very good defense. Got a bunch of young, athletic guys that can really play, so that’s a good win for us. That’s a stepping stone. We go 2-1 on the road. Put ourselves in a position to win yesterday, and I like how it’s going. We just got to continue to keep getting better.”