FIGHT NIGHT!
Thompson-Herro fight leads to ejections in Heat's victory over Rockets
Dec 30, 2024, 10:57 am
FIGHT NIGHT!
Rockets forward Amen Thompson threw Heat guard Tyler Herro to the floor to trigger an altercation that resulted in six ejections in the closing minute of Miami's 104-100 victory over Houston on Sunday.
Thompson and Herro became entangled with Miami about to inbound the ball leading 99-94 with 35 seconds left. Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and tossed him, with referee Marc Davis describing it as Thompson “body slams Herro.”
“I didn’t see it live, but I re-watched it,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “They were in each other’s face, bumping chests a little bit, and one guy’s stronger than the other.”
Herro, Thompson, and Udoka were ejected, as were Heat guard Terry Rozier, Rockets guard Jalen Green, and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan.
Davis said Green and Rozier escalated the altercation, while Sullivan was assessed a technical foul and ejected for unsportsmanlike comments as the referee was trying to redirect the Rockets' Alperen Sengun.
The altercation occurred after Miami had come from 12 points down in the second half to regain the lead with the help of Houston missing 11 straight shots in the fourth quarter. Herro keyed the comeback, leading all scorers with 27 points and adding nine assists and six rebounds.
He believed that's what frustrated Thompson.
“Guess that’s what’s happens when someone’s scoring, throwing dimes, doing the whole thing,” Herro said. “I’d get mad, too.”
Herro said he had never spoken to Thompson, who did not talk to reporters after Sunday’s game, so there was no previous bad blood between the two.
“Just two competitors going at it, playing basketball,” Herro said. “It was a regular game that we were playing throughout.”
Houston's Fred VanVleet had been ejected just before the fight, with Davis saying VanVleet made contact with him after being called for a 5-second violation.
The win for Miami came 24 hours after losing 120-110 in Atlanta. The Heat were missing second-leading scorer Jimmy Butler for a fifth straight game, so Herro was proud of his team played against one of NBA’s best teams this season.
“They’re top two, three in the West,” Herro said. “Very good defense. Got a bunch of young, athletic guys that can really play, so that’s a good win for us. That’s a stepping stone. We go 2-1 on the road. Put ourselves in a position to win yesterday, and I like how it’s going. We just got to continue to keep getting better.”
Jose Altuve has passed Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell for second place on the career hits list for the Houston Astros.
With a bunt single in the first inning and a two-run single in the sixth on Wednesday night at Colorado, Altuve raised his career total to 2,315 hits, one more than Bagwell. Hall of Famer Craig Biggio is the franchise leader with 3,060 career hits.
You can relive the big moment in the video below!
He does it!
Jose Altuve is now 2nd in the Astros all time hit list. pic.twitter.com/ZNJVGcTjWp
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 3, 2025
Altuve, a nine-time All-Star who moved this season from second base to left field, is in his 15th major league season, all with Houston. Both Biggio and Bagwell also spent their entire careers with the Astros.
Among active players, Altuve is second in career hits behind Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who had 2,351 entering Wednesday.
Altuve caught up with MLB.com's Brian McTaggart after the game.
Jose Altuve got a congratulatory text message postgame from Jeff Bagwell after passing him on the Astros’ all-time hits list. pic.twitter.com/KtKk28SZEt
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 3, 2025
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