When Tyler Herro and Amen Thompson got themselves in a melee in Sunday’s game between the Miami Heat and the Houston Rockets, Terry Rozier came to the aid of his teammate, further escalating the brawl. Six people were ejected after the scuffle: Herro, Rozier from the Heat, and Thompson, Jalen Green, coach Ime Udoka, and assistant Ben Sullivan from the Rockets.
Reacting to the viral incident, Rozier explained why he interjected himself in the melee on Herro’s behalf. Talking to reporters following the Heat’s 104-100 win in Houston, the Heat guard said he was defending his teammate, who Thompson tossed to the floor with 35 seconds left in the game.
“We gotta protect all our guys, but definitely Tyler at all costs,” Rozier said. “I got a lot of love for Tyler, just a great dude. We gotta protect him. It’s natural instincts.”
Terry Rozier on sticking up for Tyler Herro:
“We gotta protect all our guys, but definitely Tyler at all costs.”
“I got a lot of love for Tyler, just a great dude. We gotta protect him. It’s natural instincts.”
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) December 30, 2024
Tempers had already been flaring up following Fred VanVleet’s ejection from the game after bumping into referee Marc Davis. Things got heated up even more when Thompson threw Herro down, prompting Rozier, Green, and the rest of both benches to try breaking it up.
Chaos ensues at the end of Heat vs. Rockets 😳
Four players and two coaches were ejected after this scuffle. pic.twitter.com/suYWuxrX8B
— ESPN (@espn) December 30, 2024
Terry Rozier finished the game with 14 points and five rebounds, one steal, and one assist, playing 38 minutes before being ejected.
All players involved in the brawl will likely be suspended and fined, though their suspensions will likely be less severe compared to those involved in the brawl during the Dallas Mavericks-Phoenix Suns game last Friday. In the aftermath of that game, the league suspended Naji Marshall for four games, Jusuf Nurkic for three games, and PJ Washington for one game. Nurkic started the fight by deliberately slapping Marshall with an open hand, to which the Mavericks forward responded with a punch to the Suns center. Washington involved himself by pushing Nurkic down.
Terry Rozier said joining the Heat gave him the ultimate confidence
On Jan. 23, Terry Rozier was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a protected first-round draft pick. In an interview with NBA.com. Rozier talked about how going to Miami gave him the ultimate confidence.
“There’s no surprise that Miami has been my favorite team growing up, and obviously, [when] you make it to the league, it’s all competitive. But you see the Heat culture and the things they got going, and I think I fit and [that’s something I wanted to be a part of,” Rozier said. “And then you know, now it’s happening and we’ve just got to put it to play and get some wins.”
Rozier also said that it has not been easy to adjust to his new team, but the staff have been tremendously helpful with his transition.
The Heat guard is currently averaging 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks in the season thus far.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
