Overview
- The confrontation occurred in the second quarter while the players boxed out for a rebound, escalating from an initial shove into a face-to-face exchange and a second shove.
- Both players were assessed technical fouls, and Smith was additionally penalized with a flagrant 1 that resulted in two free throws for Cleveland.
- Houston led 57-50 at halftime and was up 69-55 in the third quarter at the time of the reports.
- Tomlin started unexpectedly because Darius Garland, Sam Merrill, and Jaylon Tyson were out, entering with averages of 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 12.7 minutes over six games.
- Smith is posting career highs this season at 14.5 points on 45.7% shooting with 6.4 rebounds, underscoring his role for the Rockets.