Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. and Utah Jazz guard Kris Dunn have each been suspended after throwing punches at each other during a brief fight in their game on Saturday night, the league announced Sunday afternoon.
Dunn was suspended for two games without pay, while Smith was suspended for one game. Dunn will miss the Jazz’s game Monday against the Dallas Mavericks and Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs. Smith will miss the Rockets’ matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
Smith and Dunn suddenly erupted just seconds into the second quarter Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Houston. The two were standing near the top of the key as the Rockets were bringing the ball down the court when suddenly Dunn threw a punch aimed for Smith’s head. Smith returned with a swing of his own, but both largely missed before teammates and the officials pulled them apart.
The incident didn’t last long, but both Smith and Dunn were immediately ejected from the game.
“[We] exchanged a couple words, a couple pushes and the next thing you know, we’re ejected,” Dunn said on Saturday night, via ESPN. “For me, I take responsibility for my actions and whatever the league decides for me, I have to respect that.”
Smith, who did not speak to reporters after the game, has averaged a career-high 13.3 points and 8.5 rebounds with the Rockets this season. The 20-year-old, who the Rockets took with the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2022 out of Auburn, had five points when he was ejected on Saturday.
Dunn had two points in six minutes before he was tossed. The 30-year-old has averaged 5.3 points and 3.9 assists per game this season, his second with the Jazz. Dunn is in the final year of a two-year, $3.3 million deal.
Despite the incident, the Rockets flew ahead to a 147-119 win over the Jazz. They’ve now won eight straight games, which suddenly has them just 1.5 games out of the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. The loss marked the fifth straight for the Jazz, however, and they trail the Rockets by 7.5 games in the standings.
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