From there, mass chaos ensued. Heat guard Terry Rozier went at Thompson to retaliate, taking him to the ground. As players and coaches tried to break up the madness, Thompson and Herro continued to yell at one another as Thompson was pulled away.

That’s when the defining moment of the night happened, as Rockets forward Amen Thompson and Heat guard Tyler Herro sparked a melee that led to six ejections before the Heat escaped with a gutsy 104-100 road victory. “Just two competitors going at it, playing basketball,” Herro said, downplaying the incident.

Two Rockets players — Thompson and Jalen Green — were ejected along with Udoka and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan. The Heat’s Terry Rozier and Herro were also ejected for their part in the altercation. Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet was ejected in the previous play for arguing about a five-second call.