Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. pushes Nae’Qwan Tomlin in heated interaction

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Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. pushes Nae’Qwan Tomlin in heated interaction

Paolo Mariano, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Thu, Nov 20, 2025 ·

2 min read

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The post Rockets' Jabari Smith Jr. pushes Nae'Qwan Tomlin in heated interaction appeared first on ClutchPoints .

The Houston Rockets looked to carry the momentum from their four-game winning streak as they visited the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on Wednesday.

The Rockets were coming off a tough win over the Orlando Magic in overtime, 117-113, on Sunday. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, have notched back-to-back wins after beating the Milwaukee Bucks , 118-106, on Monday.

Tension became palpable early on, as Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. and Cavaliers forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin got into a heated altercation in the second quarter. They were battling for the rebound when Smith pushed Tomlin. The sophomore didn't back down and barked at Smith's face. Smith then pushed him again. They were called for a double technical foul .

The Rockets held a 17-point lead at halftime, 57-50.

Smith has to keep his cool, as he is a key piece for Houston. He has been solid in his fourth season, averaging career-highs of 14.5 points and 45.7% field goals on top of 6.4 rebounds.

Some thought that his production would dip with the entry of star Kevin Durant , but Smith has flourished alongside him, giving the Rockets two lengthy forwards who can be versatile on offense.

Tomlin, on the other hand, has barely seen action this year. He was a surprise insertion to the starting lineup versus the Rockets, with Darius Garland , Sam Merrill , and Jaylon Tyson all out due to injuries.

Tomlin was averaging 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 12.7 minutes in six games entering the game against Houston.

As of writing, the Rockets are still ahead of the Cavaliers, 69-55, in the third quarter.

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