Marcus Smart will miss three Houston Rockets games after the NBA suspended him without pay for punching Golden State Warriors center Charles Bassey during Wednesday’s game.
The suspension begins Friday against the Utah Jazz, according to the league announcement relayed by Houston’s SportsTalk 790. The station reported that the punch made contact with Bassey’s face.
From the NBA: @HoustonRockets guard Marcus Smart has been suspended three games without pay for throwing a punch that made contact with Charles Bassey's face on Wednesday night.
Smart will begin serving the suspension tomorrow night.
— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) November 12, 2026
The ruling extends the consequences beyond Smart’s ejection. Houston will also be without him for the opening two games of its upcoming road trip, including a back-to-back in Washington and Miami.
Which games will Marcus Smart miss?
Based on the Friday start date and Houston’s schedule, the three-game suspension covers:
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 13 | Utah Jazz | Houston |
| Nov. 15 | Washington Wizards | Washington |
| Nov. 16 | Miami Heat | Miami |
Smart’s first scheduled opportunity to return after serving the suspension is Nov. 18 against the Indiana Pacers. That is the end of the disciplinary absence, rather than a separate announcement that he will play that night.
For the Rockets, the timing means losing a guard for three games in four days. The Washington-Miami back-to-back falls entirely within the suspension, leaving Houston to cover those minutes without Smart on either night.
Smart’s ejection followed a confrontation with Bassey
Smart received a flagrant-2 foul late in the third quarter Wednesday after the players became entangled and then confronted one another.
Bassey criticized Smart’s conduct afterward, describing earlier contact between them as well as the punch.
“And then he got up on me and swung,” Bassey said. “Obviously that was weak. I think that was, honestly, fake toughness.”
Rockets coach Ime Udoka offered Smart’s account after speaking with him, saying Smart felt his previously hurt elbow had been bent during the tangle. Udoka also described a verbal exchange preceding the punch.
