Wed Jan 01 17:00:00 UTC 2025: ## NBA Hands Down Punishments Following Rockets-Heat Brawl
**Miami, FL –** The NBA announced significant punishments Tuesday for players and a coach involved in a bench-clearing brawl during Sunday’s game between the Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat. The altercation, which erupted in the final seconds of the Heat’s 104-100 victory, resulted in six ejections.
Rockets forward Amen Thompson, deemed the instigator of the fight, received the harshest penalty: a two-game suspension without pay. Heat guard Terry Rozier was suspended for one game. Fines were levied against several other individuals. Rockets guard Jalen Green was fined $35,000, while Heat guard Tyler Herro, involved in the initial confrontation with Thompson, was fined $25,000. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was fined $50,000 for verbally abusing a game official and failing to leave the court promptly after his ejection. Interestingly, Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan, also ejected, escaped a fine. Separately, Rockets guard Fred VanVleet was fined $35,000 for an unrelated incident earlier in the game involving contact with a referee.
The fight began when Thompson aggressively confronted Herro, resulting in a chaotic scene that required intervention from coaches, staff, and security personnel. While the exact cause remains unclear, Thompson’s actions escalated the situation into a full-scale brawl.
Thompson’s suspension will cause him to miss the Rockets’ games against the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics. Rozier will sit out the Heat’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the league’s zero-tolerance policy for on-court violence.
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