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Fred VanVleet ejected after bumping referee Marc Davis

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Dec 29, 2024 10:04 PM ET

A slight nudge was all it took for Fred VanVleet to get ejected Sunday in the Houston Rockets’ game against the Miami Heat at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Heat forward Nikola Jovic hit a three with 47.1 seconds left to put Miami up 98-94, prompting the Rockets to call a timeout. VanVleet was tasked to inbound from the sideline.

VanVleet could not get a clean pass off in time due to some excellent ball denial by the Heat. The Rockets guard tried to call a timeout, but it was too late. Referee Marc Davis called a five-second violation.

As VanVleet tried to argue the call, he gave Davis a little bump. The veteran official turned around and ejected VanVleet for the contact.

Marc Davis ejected Fred VanVleet for accidentally bumping into him

The NBA is cooked pic.twitter.com/f3F8dOdiSs

— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) December 30, 2024

Tensions remained high even after VanVleet was escorted off the playing court. A few moments later, Heat star Tyler Herro and Rockets wing Amen Thompson got tangled up near midcourt. A full-on fracas broke out as Thompson pulled Herro to the ground.

Amen Thompson and Tyler Herro fight pic.twitter.com/VGp1KBXzJH

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 30, 2024

Thompson, Jalen Green, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan were all ejected from the contest.

Herro led all scorers with 27 points in the 104-100 Heat win over the Rockets.

Houston’s players were probably in a dour mood given that it was the second straight close game they’ve given up at home. The Rockets are just days removed from blowing a 16-point lead in the final minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves, capped off by an go-ahead three-pointer from Anthony Edwards.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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