Jabari Smith Jr. shoves Nae’Quan Tomlin in a heated interaction
The Houston Rockets looked to carry over the momentum from their four-game winning streak as they visited the cleveland cavaliers at rocket arena on wednesday.
The Rockets came away with a tough win over the Orlando Magic in overtime, 117-113, on Sunday. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, made it back-to-back wins with a 118-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday.
The tension was palpable early, as the Rockets advanced Jabari Smith Jr. and Cavaliers forward Nae’Quan Tomlin got into a heated argument in the second quarter. They were fighting for a rebound when Smith shoved Tomlin. The sophomore didn’t back down and barked at Smith’s face. Smith then pushed him again. They were invited for a double technical foul.
The Rockets had a 17-point lead at halftime, 57-50.
Smith needs to keep his cool because he is a key player for Houston. He was solid in his fourth season, averaging a career-high 14.5 points and 45.7% field goal percentage with 6.4 rebounds.
Some thought his production would drop with the entrance of star Kevin Durantbut Smith thrived alongside him, giving the Rockets two long forwards who can be versatile on offense.
Tomlin, on the other hand, has barely seen action this year. He was a surprise addition to the starting lineup against the Rockets, with Darius Garland, Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson sidelined with injuries.
Tomlin averaged 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 12.7 minutes in six games against Houston.
As of this writing, the Rockets still lead the Cavaliers, 69-55, in the third quarter.
2025-11-20 01:52:00
