Rockets' Trevor Ariza Throws Punch, Suspended One Game

It was a frustrating Sunday afternoon in Toronto for the visiting Houston Rockets. Not only was the team run off the floor in a game that tipped at 12:30 PM local time, but its biggest (active) star was ejected, and will miss the next game due to a league-mandated suspension.

Trevor Ariza, as you'll see in the following video clip, loses the ball to Raptors rookie DeMar DeRozan. As soon as DeRozan starts to head the other way, Ariza takes a swing at the back of his head, and immediately gets himself ejected from the game.

Thankfully for all involved, Ariza didn't connect.

Now, Ariza doesn't have a history of being a dirty player (unless you're a Blazers fan, maybe), and this play clearly came out of frustration, not out of any ill will he had specifically for DeRozan at the time. But either way, the rule book is very clear on what happens next, and it's a (minimum) one-game suspension.

Any player who throws a punch, whether it connects or not, has committed an unsportsmanlike act. He will be ejected following confirmation during review by instant replay and suspended for a minimum of one game.

As far as DeRozan hanging on to any bad feelings about the incident in the future, don't count on it. He and Ariza are both natives of Los Angeles, and DeRozan said afterwards that things between the two will be just fine.

"I know it wasn't intentional," DeRozan said. "He was just frustrated, he wasn't hitting shots, they were down 20 and it was the heat of the game.

"That's still my man," DeRozan said.