It was a night to forget for the Golden State Warriors. They lost Stephen Curry to an injury, saw their historic eight-game winning streak come to an end, and then watched Marcus Smart throw a wild punch at their center, Charles Bassey. The blow narrowly missed landing cleanly on Bassey’s nose, potentially adding another injury concern to an already difficult night. With the dust settling, the big man had some strong words for Smart, while Draymond Green sent a message to the rest of the league. 

Speaking to reporters after the Warriors’ 115–108 loss in Houston, Bassey accused Smart of playing dirty throughout the game. 

“I mean, he’s been playing dirty the whole game, man,” Bassey said. 

“I remember in the first half, I was trying to set a screen where he grabbed my knees. So, I mean, he was playing dirty. So I think I was trying to get a rebound. He was grabbing my hand, and I was trying to run back on defense, and he was still grabbing my…like, you know? And then he got up on me and just swung, and obviously that was weak.”

Bassey later doubled down on that assessment, describing the punch as “fake toughness.” 

“I knew he was gonna do something. I baited for him to do something, ’cause I knew he was gonna do something; I don’t think he was trying to play; I think he was trying to get himself out of the game. He wasn’t trying to play, but he was trying to play; he wasn’t gonna do that, but I think he was trying to chill. He wasn’t trying to hoop, bro. Like I said, man, that was fake, fake toughness.”

The incident came with 21 seconds left in the third quarter, with Houston leading 82–76. The trouble began after a missed layup by Warriors forward Gui Santos, when Smart and Bassey became entangled while fighting for position under the basket. 

Rockets coach Ime Udoka later said Smart’s previously injured elbow had been bent during the contact.

The two continued wrestling as play moved up the floor. After Amen Thompson scored on a fast break, Smart chased Bassey down and shoved him near the top of the key. They exchanged words before Smart threw a right-handed punch toward Bassey’s face. Bassey leaned back, and the blow appeared to graze his nose.

Yaxel Lendeborg, Santos, and Brandin Podziemski quickly moved in, joining players and officials from both teams to separate the pair. Smart then left for the locker room. After reviewing the replay, refs assessed a Flagrant 2 foul, resulting in Smart’s ejection. 

Smart did not speak with reporters after the game.

Meanwhile, Draymond Green had been on the bench and acknowledged that he missed the start of the altercation. He saw the punch, however, and focused his post-game comments on how quickly Warriors’ players came to Bassey’s defense.

“Yeah, that’s what this is gonna be. This ain’t changing with that. You up against one, you up against all. That’s the way we rocking. So, love the way that a lot of guys got in the mix. We always talk about that. Some going on with your team, get in the mix. And guys got in the mix. That’s important.”

Draymond Green’s message was less about the initial dispute than his teammates’ response.

The Warriors have made a point of standing up for one another, and he viewed the players’ immediate involvement as evidence that the message had carried into the game.

Asked why the Warriors keep finding themselves in altercations, Draymond Green smiled and said, “That’s alright,” while acknowledging he did not have an explanation for the pattern.

Smart’s ejection now leaves the league to determine whether further discipline is warranted.