Thu Jan 02 02:10:00 UTC 2025: **NBA Hands Down Suspensions and Fines Following Heated Rockets-Heat Game**
**Miami, FL** – The NBA announced significant disciplinary actions Tuesday stemming from a late-game brawl between the Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat on Sunday. The altercation resulted in seven ejections and a total of $240,000 in fines.
Houston’s Amen Thompson received a two-game suspension and will forfeit approximately $127,586 in salary, while Miami’s Terry Rozier was suspended for one game, costing him roughly $143,242. The suspensions followed a heated exchange that saw Thompson shove Miami’s Tyler Herro to the ground. Rozier then joined the fray, escalating the situation into a full-blown bench-clearing incident.
Other penalties included a $50,000 fine for Rockets coach Ime Udoka for verbally abusing an official and failing to leave the court promptly, and fines of $35,000 for Houston’s Jalen Green and $25,000 for Herro for their involvement in the fight. Houston’s Fred VanVleet was fined $35,000 for making contact with referee Marc Davis earlier in the game, triggering the initial escalation. Assistant coach Ben Sullivan also received an ejection.
The incident occurred during the final minutes of the Heat’s 104-100 victory, which saw Miami overcome a seven-point deficit in the final seven minutes. Herro, who scored 27 points, suggested that Thompson’s frustration with his performance may have contributed to the fight. Herro sustained a hip bruise in the incident but is expected to play in Wednesday’s game. The league’s actions aim to deter future on-court altercations and uphold the integrity of the game.
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