Benches clear between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter in Game 2 of the first round NBA playoff matchup at Toyota Center on April 23, 2025 in Houston, Texas.
Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images
In a game that had already seen one devastating impact, Golden State reserve Pat Spencer took what was perhaps a more comical blow late in the Warriors’ Game 2 loss on Wednesday.
Spencer was hit squarely in the face by a towel that Rockets bench player Tari Eason threw at him during an on-court incident in the fourth quarter of the 109-94 loss. After Golden State called timeout following a made layup by Houston to push their lead to 19 points, Draymond Green and Rockets guard Fred VanVleet had a seemingly agitated face-to-face chat as players headed to their benches. Several players from both teams then converged on the conversation, turning it into a confrontation.
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While the referees separated the teams and Rockets coaches held players back, Eason wound up and threw a towel towards the Warriors’ side of the scuffle. The towel went directly to Spencer’s face and covered it. The Warriors guard then pulled the towel off and pointed a finger at Eason.
It took nearly 30 seconds for the teams to fully separate and go back to their benches. The referees assessed Eason with a technical foul for “throwing the towel in an unsportsmanlike manner.”
Eason has been a rotation player for Houston in his third season and scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in 24 minutes of action on Wednesday. Spencer is usually buried deep on the Warriors bench, but played 12 minutes in Game 2 and tallied 11 points. Spencer also picked up his own technical foul later in the fourth, when he and Amen Thompson were chirping back and forth.
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With the loss, the Warriors are now tied 1-1 with the Rockets in the best-of-seven series. The two teams will fly to the Bay Area for the next two games, with Game 3 set for Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on ABC.
April 23, 2025
