WATCH: Kris Dunn throws punches at Jabari Smith Jr. amid heated altercation in Rockets vs Jazz
In the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets Western Conference clash on Saturday, tensions flared as Rockets standout Jabari Smith Jr. found himself embroiled in a physical altercation with Jazz's Kris Dunn.
In the paint, Jabari Smith Jr. and Kris Dunn engaged in a shoving match, each grabbing onto the other's jersey. The situation escalated rapidly as both players squared up, seemingly prepared to exchange punches to the face.
Jabari and Dunn were promptly separated by their teammates and officials before the situation could escalate further.
However, the incident resulted in significant consequences for both players, as they were ejected from the game and faced hefty penalties.
Here's the video of their altercation:
Jabari Smith Jr. and the Houston Rockets with a dominant first half
Relying heavily on their perimeter shooting, the Utah Jazz fell into a substantial deficit during the opening quarter of Saturday's matchup against the Houston Rockets.
Utah began the game shooting 7 for 22 from the field, with 13 of those attempts coming from beyond the three-point line.
The Jazz only managed to convert four of those attempts from deep.
Rookie Taylor Hendricks made the first, followed by John Collins sinking his attempt from the top of the arc, and Johnny Juzang knocking down two triples.
Meanwhile, Houston was scorching hot, shooting an impressive 82.6% from the field and an astonishing 75% from 3-point range in the first quarter.
The absence of Lauri Markkanen left the Jazz offense appearing stagnant, to say the least.
As the first quarter concluded, the Rockets held a commanding 26-point lead, with the scoreboard reading 47-21 in their favor.
Jabari Smith played just nine minutes before being ejected, nevertheless, he made his impact early on with contributions in all aspects of the game with five points, two rebounds and two assists on 2 of 3 shooting from the field at 66.7%.
Meanwhile, Kris Dunn logged six minutes where he contributed two points and one rebound on 1 of 3 shooting at 33.3% from the field, including solid perimeter defense.