NBA Ref Tony Brothers Justifies Decision On Steve Adams & Mason Plumlee’s Altercation After Security Rushed On-Court

Chaos in Houston! The Suns headed to the Rockets’ arena hoping to shake off Monday’s tough loss against the Grizzlies by getting a much-needed win tonight. And they were doing a decent job of keeping the game competitive during the early minutes. However, things took an unfortunate turn in the second quarter when Mason Plumlee and Steven Adams got ejected after getting into an ugly physical altercation. While the decision seemed questionable to many, official Tony Brothers revealed the reasoning behind it after the game.

During the Pool Report interview conducted by The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, Brothers justified why both players were directly ejected instead of being penalized with double-technical fouls, “Their aggressive actions were considered a fight and by rule, fighting technical fouls carry a penalty of automatic ejections.” Yes, any sort of physical altercation more often than not leads to involved players getting booted straight away. Moreover, Adams and Plumlee’s fight quickly escalated to an all-out brawl, leaving Brothers with no other choice.

Referee Tony Brothers on why Mason Plumlee and Steven Adams were ejected for their altercation:

“Their aggressive actions were considered a fight and by rule, fighting technical fouls carry a penalty of automatic ejections.” pic.twitter.com/iJpIuGI6wA

— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) March 13, 2025

The incident began when Plumlee elbowed Adams in the neck while trying to box him out during a shot attempt by Jalen Green. Although Green converted the mid-range jumper, the two big men got tangled up, with their arms locked around each other. Then, both players butted heads as Adams began walking Plumlee backwards using his 6’11 frame. Obviously, the Suns star was not pleased with the disrespectful act and put his arm on Adams’ neck, pushing him to the ground as both players hit the deck hard.

Sure enough, their teammates, staff, and even the security rushed in to separate the two giants. However, the damage was already done as Plumlee ended up with a bloody forehead because of a cut, while Adams was seen smiling and talking to his former Thunder teammate, Kevin Durant. Upon review, both players got tossed from the game immediately. Seeing Adams and Plumlee wrestle each other to the ground makes it hard to believe that these are the same players who were part of one of the most wholesome sportsmanship moments a few years ago.

Steven Adams and Mason Plumlee’s brawl brings back memories of Wholesome Moment as Suns suffer after Double Ejection

Although their meeting ended in disaster tonight, Plumlee and Adams’ relationship was not always this violent. In fact, seven years ago, Steven saved the Suns Center from a nasty fall. Well, it was during a regular season game, and both players were part of different teams, Adams was on the Thunder and Mason was on the Nuggets. During a play, Adams pump faked so hard that Plumlee went flying and was about to land very awkwardly on the hardwood after losing balance. Instead of going up for the shot, Adams used his quick reflexes to save the then-Nuggets Center by softening his landing, and avoiding a potential injury.

Steven Adams saved Mason Plumlee from a bad fall instead of going for the layup pic.twitter.com/rTE5ojbw23

— ESPN (@espn) December 15, 2018

However, it looks like they might no longer be on good terms after tonight’s altercation. Unfortunately for the Suns, the double ejection hurt them more because Plumlee was their starting Center and after he got tossed, their lack of rim protection was exploited by the Rockets. As a result, Kevin Durant and Co. ended up losing by seven points. A forgettable night for them indeed.

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