Rockets Beat Warriors 115-108 as Smart Is Ejected for Punch and Curry Leaves Injured

The Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors 115-108 on Wednesday night in Houston, ending Golden State's eight-game winning streak, in a game where Rockets guard Marcus Smart was ejected for throwing a punch at Warriors center Charles Bassey. Kevin Durant scored 20 points for Houston, and Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson each added 19. Warriors star Stephen Curry left in the first quarter with right abdominal soreness, did not return and was due to get an MRI. Coach Steve Kerr said his concern was high but he did not know the extent of the injury. Golden State is 8-4 despite Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody being out with knee injuries and Kristaps Porziņģis stepping away over an undisclosed health issue. In the third quarter, Smart and Bassey got tangled on a rebound, kept jawing, and Smart threw a right hook that grazed Bassey's nose. Afterward Bassey called the move weak and "fake toughness."

The Guardian US, the left-leaning outlet, puts both storylines in its headline but opens with the game and Curry's injury, citing Durant's scoring, Kerr's worry and Draymond Green's view that this team can handle Curry's absence better than last year's, crediting Yaxel Lendeborg and Brandin Podziemski. Its Smart ejection coverage begins only after that. Fox News and the New York Post, on the right, lead with Bassey's postgame remarks, and both headlines feature "fake toughness." The Post adds his account that Smart held his hand on a rebound and grabbed his knee on a screen; Fox stresses that Bassey stayed calm with his arms at his side and says the punch never landed. Both sides give the score and the ejection. ESPN's brief item says the punch grazed Bassey's nose, which differs from Fox's account.