Amen Thompson and Tyler Herro sparked a massive benches-clearing brawl in the final seconds of the Miami Heat’s 104-100 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
With about 30 seconds left at the Toyota Center, Herro and Thompson were jostling for position ahead of an inbounds pass when things suddenly erupted. Thompson then suddenly got into Herro’s face and grabbed him by the collar before he ripped him down to the floor. Instantly, Thompson and Herro were swarmed by both teams onto the pile as chaos ensued.
It took several assistant coaches, staff members and even arena security to diffuse the situation. Herro was seen clapping at Thompson as they were both being held back.
That naturally led to a slew of ejections, including Thompson, Jalen Green and Houston coach Ime Udoka. Terry Rozier and Herro were both ejected for the Heat. While it’s unclear what sparked the incident specifically, the league is sure to hand out fines and further punishment as a result in the coming days.
Despite the chaotic final sequence, the Heat held on down the stretch to grab a four-point win. Herro had a team high 27 points and nine assists for Miami, which improved to 16-14 with the victory. Nikola Jokic added 18 points off the bench, and Haywood Highsmith finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Dillon Brooks led the Rockets with 22 points in the loss. Alperen Sengun finished with 18 points and 18 rebounds, and Green had 19 points before he was ejected. Thompson had just five points off the bench.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
