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Amen Thompson slams Tyler Herro to the ground, benches-clearing brawl ensues during Heat-Rockets

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•12/29/24•

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Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Rockets’ Amen Thompson slammed Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro to the ground, which led to a brawl late in the game on Sunday night. The Heat were up 99-94 with 35 seconds left in the game when the fight occurred.

The fight between Amen Thompson and Tyler Herro began when both players were battling for position as play was about to resume. Herro got low on Thompson, which led to the two grabbing each other and Thompson slamming Herro to the ground.

According to Sports Illustrated, four players and two coaches were ejected, including Thompson, Herro, Terry Rozier from the Heat and Jalen Green from the Rockets. Houston coaches Ime Udoka and Ben Sullivan were also kicked out.

The Heat went on to win 104-100. After the game, Udoka spoke to reporters about the fight and said, “They were in each other’s faces, bumping chests a little bit. One guy is stronger than the other.”

More on Amen Thompson and Tyler Herro

Thompson was selected by the Rockets at No. 4 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, Thompson was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 9.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. This year, Thompson is tallying 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest.

“Whatever the coaches, whatever my team needs from me that day,” Thompson said in October, per Ben DuBose of RocketsWire. “If it’s point guard, I can do that; if it’s center, I can do that. And anything in between. I feel that’s a good thing to have that on a team.”

“I love the ball in my hands. But sometimes, that doesn’t happen. So, it’s just what can I do next to help the team. We have so many good ballhandlers, so many good off-the-ball players, you can really put me anywhere.”

Herro was selected by the Heat at No. 13 overall in the 2019 draft after playing one season with the Kentucky Wildcats. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020 and won the Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2022. This year, Herro is tallying 23.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game.