Devin Vassell got into a heated altercation with Ajay Mitchell in the third quarter after the Thunder’s second foul on Stephon Castle within a matter of minutes, where on both plays the former Rookie of the Year could have seriously injured himself.
SPURS OKC LETS GET NEGATIVEEEEE pic.twitter.com/CoCl3sR4sM
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) May 23, 2026
The play was assessed as a flagrant foul on Ajay Mitchell for shoving Castle in the back while he was airborne, making it an unnecessary play. Moreover, Mitchell and Vassell were given a double-technical foul as play went on with two free throws plus possession for the Spurs.
Following the game, Devin Vassell spoke to the media and addressed the altercation that broke out.
“Just have my teammates back. That’s my brother. The first play, it’s a basketball play, you try and make a play, but I mean two times in a row he’s about to go for a dunk, it just looked like he pushed him. That could be a dangerous play, so I just want to have my teammates back.”
Caruso with the HARD foul on Stephon Castle, and Castle has some words to say pic.twitter.com/tTcKqrKbu8
— Tsoj (@TsojBall) May 23, 2026
On both possessions, the Thunder players did everything they could to stop Castle from going up for a fastbreak dunk or layup. However, Vassell felt that there was a certain level of hostility and recklessness on the second play.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s the playoffs, it’s a lot of stuff that physicality, grabbing, holding, all that, and all that just builds up. So it’s a lot of, I guess, a little bit of animosity building up, and I’m cool with that.”
Vassell’s solid start was pivotal in the Spurs’ 15-0 start to the game; however, he could not sustain the rhythm throughout the night as the defending champions, the Thunder, eventually bounced back and stole Game 3 with a 123-108 win.
The 25-year-old wing ended the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and two assists, while going 6-12 from the field (50.0 FG%) and 3-6 from the three-point range (50.0 3P%).
Meanwhile, Ajay Mitchell exited the game early in the third quarter after he reaggravated his quad injury from Game 2. He did not return after the first half of the third quarter and ended up with just two points, five rebounds, and one assist tonight, going 1-5 from the field (20.0 FG%).
The physicality of this series has only been increasing since the tipoff of Game 1. While I respect what Vassell is doing for his teammate, it is hard to question this level of commitment from Ajay Mitchell and Alex Caruso when they are just doing everything they can to stop Castle from getting an easy layup.
