Jalen Green, Jae’Sean Tate suspended by NBA for leaving Rockets’ bench

January 15, 2023January 15, 2023

Second-year Rockets guard Jalen Green and third-year forward Jae’Sean Tate briefly left Houston’s bench during Friday’s altercation in Sacramento, which led to both being suspended for a game.

The NBA league office made the announcement early on Sunday. It means that the Rockets won’t have enough players later in the day to face the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.

While neither Green nor Tate was deemed an instigator, the league’s policy automatically suspends any player who leaves the bench in an altercation. This is done to lessen the chances of a larger conflict.

The scuffle occurred in Friday’s fourth quarter, and it primarily involved Houston’s Garrison Mathews and Sacramento’s Malik Monk. Officials ruled that Tari Eason, Rockets’ forward, and Chimezie Metu, the Kings big man were instigators.

Eason, however, was playing in the game at the time, which means he wasn’t subject to the automatic suspension rule. Green and Tate weren’t in the game, which made them subject to the policy.

Eason received a $30,000 penalty from the NBA for starting the altercation and making accidental contact with a Sacramento official. Mathews was penalized $35,000 for starting the altercation, and Monk was penalized $25,000 for carrying on the taunting and continuing to taunt Mathews.