Tempers flared in the closing stages of the Miami Heat’s 136-120 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Kaseya Center on Saturday. With under two minutes remaining and the game out of reach, Scotty Pippen Jr. charged at undrafted Heat rookie Myron Gardner and wrestled him to the ground. Pippen was irate about Gardner bumping him from behind earlier and dissed the forward postgame.
“I thought it was kind of a cheap shot,” Pippen said, via Five Reasons Sports. “He kind of hit me when I didn’t see him, so I thought it was a soft move. I just thought he maybe needed a hug on the other end.”
Pippen doesn’t expect to get suspended, as no punches were thrown, and hilariously reiterated that it was just a hug. It sure wasn’t. You can check out the incident and what led to it below.
Here’s what went down:
-Scotty Pippen Jr. and Myron Gardner fight for a rebound, SPJ tosses Gardner (physical but fine)
-SPJ hits a 3, Gardner delivers a cheap shot to the back well after the shot is away
-Pippen wants all the smoke down (rightfully so)
Never seen SPJ like that pic.twitter.com/gsaZdE710J
— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) February 22, 2026
Pippen tossing Gardner to the floor was what triggered all of it. The latter definitely overreacted with that cheap shot, but you can understand his anger in that situation. Both men were ejected from this game, and we’ll wait and see what additional punishment the NBA hands down.
It sure feels like Pippen will be suspended. The 25-year-old had only just returned after missing much of this season due to toe surgery, and might have to sit out a game or two. This was Pippen’s fourth game back, and he finished with 18 points (7-15 FG), three rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block. It’s a shame his night ended on that note.
As for Gardner, he put up five points (2-3 FG), three rebounds, and two assists here. The Heat had only just given the 24-year-old a standard three-year NBA contract on Wednesday after signing him to a two-way deal last summer. Gardner should at least easily be able to pay the fine that is likely to come his way, thanks to that. He sure seems to be developing a bad reputation in his short time in the NBA, though.
Washington Wizards star Trae Young reacted to this scuffle by making it clear that Gardner had it coming.
“Ngl Dude from the Heat had this coming for him…”
Earlier this season, Gardner, who went undrafted in 2023, was talking trash to Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson. Heat assistant coach Caron Butler took offense to that, and he made him apologize to Thompson for disrespecting him.
Gardner appears to have an edge to him, but he should try to rein it in a bit. He has just gotten this big opportunity, and should capitalize on it.
