WATCH: DeMar DeRozan and Dillon Brooks ejected after Bulls veteran sparks altercation by bodychecking Jalen Green
DeMar DeRozan and Dillon Brooks were ejected in Thursday's matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets. The two veterans got into each other's faces and had to be separated. DeRozan, who generally displays a calm demeanor, seemed frustrated after missing a foul call.
Surprisingly, his hard foul on Jalen Green escalated the altercation between him and Brooks. DeRozan gave the young Rockets star an old-school shove, which didn't sit well with Brooks, one of the Rockets' veterans. Here's a video of these incidents:
The officials didn't waste any time in getting both veterans tossed out. Meanwhile, Coby White and Fred VanVleet also engaged in a heated moment and had to be separated by their respective teams' support staff.
The incident occurred in the third quarter of the game with the Rockets up 84-75. Houston has been the better team all night behind Dillon Brooks' 23 points on 10 of 13 shooting in 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan endured a dismal shooting night as he went 4 of 15. DeRozan scored 16 points with the help of eight free throws on nine attempts.
DeMar DeRozan's ejection gives Rockets an improved chance of winning
The Rockets were already better suited to win before DeMar DeRozan's ejection, and nothing changed concerning that after it. The Rockets secured a 127-117 win, their seventh in a row. The Bulls, meanwhile, had their two-game winning streak snapped.
Jalen Green had 26 points on 45.5% shooting, while Jock Landale tallied 17 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Ayo Dosumnu dropped 35 points for the Bulls on 13 of 17 shooting.
Chicago dropped to 34-36 on the season, but that's unlikely to impact its position in the standings. On the other hand, the Rockets will get a boost in their postseason hopes as they will maintain a steady gap with the 10th-placed Rockets.
Houston is 11th in the West with a 34-35 record, 2.5 games behind the 36-32 Dubs. A play-in seeding is well within their reach if they continue winning at this rate, while the Warriors or LA Lakers succumb to a few more losses.
The Rockets have hit their strides with the additions of Dillon Brooks, Fred VanVleet and Jeff Green this season under new coach Ime Udoka. Meanwhile, Jalen Green seems to be shutting down critics after playing close to his potential amid the Rockets' winning stretch.