On Monday night, the Atlanta Hawks headed to Houston to take on the Rockets. Tempers flared between the two teams in the third quarter when Atlanta forward Vince Carter landed a hard hit on Rockets point guard Austin Rivers.

Upon review, Carter was assessed with a flagrant foul for the hit.

In the video, Carter clearly brought his hand down on Rivers' face as he went for the breakaway lay-up. Rivers went on to miss both free throws.

The Rockets ultimately won Monday night's game by a score of 119-111.

Carter, 42, is the league's oldest player by more than a year. He has settled into a bench role with the Hawks, averaging 6.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game while shooting 43.1 percent. He has been an All-Star ten times in his 21-season NBA career.

Rivers is much younger at 26. He has been a solid semi-regular for Houston, averaging 8.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game with a field goal shooting of 40.1 percent.

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This season hasn't gone as planned for the Hawks. The team is only 20-41 after Monday's loss, well out of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.

The Rockets, on the other hand, are having another strong season. At 35-25, they own the fifth seed in the Western Conference, two and a half games behind the fourth seed Portland Trail Blazers. According to ESPN's BPI Playoff Odds, Houston has a 99.2 percent chance of making the playoffs. However, the system gives the team only a 1.7 percent chance of winning the championship.