Marcus Smart's Punishment for Punching Charles Bassey Announced By NBA After Rockets vs. Warriors

The NBA suspended Houston Rockets guard Marcus Smart for three games after he punched Golden State Warriors center Charles Bassey during a matchup between the two teams on Wednesday, via NBA insider Chris Haynes.

In the third quarter of Houston's 115-108 win over Golden State, Smart threw a punch at Bassey before they were separated by their teammates. Smart was given a flagrant 2 foul for the incident and ejected from the game.

Bassey weighed in on the situation after the contest.

"He's been playing dirty the whole game, man," Bassey said, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. "I remember in the first half, I was trying to set a screen. Bro, he grabbed my knees. He was playing dirty."

"I don't think he was trying to play," he added. "I think he was trying to get himself out of the game. He wasn't trying to play, because if he was trying to play, you don't do that bro. I think he was trying to chill. He wasn't trying to hoop, bro. Like I said, man, that was fake. Fake toughness." 

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka detailed Smart's perspective as well.

"Refs didn't say anything. I didn't see it but I just talked to Marcus," Udoka told reporters, via SI.com's Eric Jay Santos. "He said they got wrapped up, and his elbow that he had hurt got bent up. So he said something to him, and Bassey said, 'What you going to do?' And he did it."

Smart's three-game suspension will cost him $125,462, while the Rockets are set to receive a tax variance credit or $62,731 (h/t ESPN's Bobby Marks).

The veteran guard has been known for his aggressive perimeter defense throughout his career, earning three All-Defensive Team selections to go with a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022.

Smart previously received a one-game suspension for language directed at an official in 2021. He was also suspended one game for striking former San Antonio Spurs center Matt Bonner in the groin in 2015.

This season, Smart is averaging 8.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from behind the arc.

Meanwhile, Bassey is in the midst of his first full year on the Warriors after suiting up for four teams during his 2025-26 campaign. He's appeared in 10 games this season, recording 7.6 points and 5.7 rebounds on a nightly basis while connecting on 66.7 percent of his field goals.

Smart will be eligible to return from his latest suspension against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 18.