James Harden and Dejounte Murray got the Houston Rockets-San Antonio Spurs match to an intense start with a heated exchange midway through the first quarter.
After Murray stole the ball from Harden and coasted for an easy layup, Harden bumped him while retrieving the ball. Of course, Murray didn't like it and pushed Harden back in response.
Fortunately, the referee quickly stepped in and prevented things from escalating.
Dejounte Murray shoves James Harden 👀😱👀 pic.twitter.com/qMl5c0iCcA
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) December 17, 2019
The Texas showdown between the Spurs and Rockets was expected to be heated even before it started, especially after the result of their previous match that ended in San Antonio's win.
To recall, the Rockets protested the game and wanted the league to replay it after a Harden dunk in the fourth quarter was incorrectly waived off. Houston was ahead by 15 points during that time but eventually lost in overtime. The league also denied their protest.
Naturally, Harden and Co. want to avenge the loss which they deemed unfair. Gregg Popovich, Murray and the rest of the Spurs expected it, too, with Murray even saying before the game that they see Houston coming out for revenge.
“We know they're going to come out for revenge, especially after all that happened, protests amd whatever they were trying to do. We just have to prepare to play our game,” Murray said, per Tom Orsborn of San Antonio-Express News.
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