WATCH: Jalen Smith furiously shoves Dennis Schroder into crowd amid heated altercation
Things got chippy between Dennis Schroder and Jalen Smith in the Indiana Pacers vs Brooklyn Nets game on Monday. In the middle of the third quarter, Smith had enough after his in-game goggles were caught up in the play. This resulted in the big man shoving the Nets guard, which led to an altercation.
The two teams are meeting for the second and final time this season before the start of the playoffs. In their last contest, the Pacers lost to the Nets. Tonight, they aim to get a win against Brooklyn to avoid a season series sweep. But by halftime, Indy had already built a significant lead.
During one play, Schroder drove to the basket for a layup. But Smith didn't want to allow an easy bucket and tried to contest the shot attempt. He went straight up with both his arms up and created contact with the veteran guard. The point guard flailed his arms to sell the contact and in doing so, hit the face of the big man.
Smith didn't like the contact on his face, which was close to his eyes. As soon as they both got down, the center shoved the German guard to the crowd. Schroder stood up for himself but both players were held back by their respective teammates and coaches.
Watch the sequence below to see the altercation between the two players.
As a result of their actions, Smith was issued a flagrant 2 foul for pushing Schroder. He was ejected from the game after the officials made their final decision. The big man had 17 points and three rebounds.
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How has Dennis Schroder played against the Pacers this season?
Dennis Schroder has played against Indiana twice this season. Because the guard started the season with the Toronto Raptors, he got a chance to play against them twice. In his first game with the Pacers, he was with the Raptors, where he had a decent outing.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup MVP had 26 points, six rebounds, and five assists as the Raptors played the Pacers. Schroder had a decent game where he went 2-5 from beyond the arc and 10-16 from the field.
In his next game against Indy, the veteran guard had a more humble game than his previous outing. He had 13 points, two rebounds and five assists. However, the Nets lost that matchup.
In his career, he's played against the Pacers 27 times and has put up averages of 10 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.7 rebounds.
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