Tari Eason lasted just three minutes in the opener to the Houston Rockets' 2026-27 season.
The Rockets' forward shoved the Dallas Mavericks' P.J. Washington in the back and sent him sliding across the court late in the first quarter Wednesday at Toyota Center. Washington immediately leapt to his feet and started charging towards Eason but the players never got close to each other.
Initially, Eason was whistled for a common foul, but after a review, he was dealt a Flagrant 2, which comes with an automatic ejection. It was hard to tell if anything ignited Eason's anger, although earlier on the same Mavericks' possession, Washington gave Eason a slight shove under the basket as the two battled for a rebound.
Tari Eason Shoved PJ Washington https://t.co/rEtJus9dbq
- wok (@wokdior) October 22, 2026
Eason, who signed a five-year, $81 million contract in July, was the first substitute off the bench along with Marcus Smart. In the three minutes he was on the court, Eason scored two points on 1-for-2 shooting and grabbed a rebound.
It was Eason's fourth ejection of his five-year career and his fifth flagrant foul.
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