Related Post
‘We got some smoke’: Mavericks star Luka Doncic reignites feud with Suns’ Devin Booker as rivals go chest to chest and nearly come to blows at the end of Phoenix’s win in Dallas before teammates and coaches separate pair
What was sold as a battle of former Nets teammates Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving devolved into a face-to-face shouting match between Luka Doncic and Devin Booker on Sunday in Dallas.
After Durant hit the tie-breaking jumper in the Suns’ 130-126 win over the Mavericks, Doncic drove to the hoop with a chance to tie the game, only for his floater to miss. Doncic promptly fouled Durant to stop the clock, but when Booker began yelling, quickly confronted the Suns guard before a double-technical foul was cold on both.
It’s unclear what was said, exactly, but the existing bad blood between Doncic and Booker clearly hasn’t gone anywhere.
Both players had to be restrained by coaches and teammates, and while they were each smiling, they appeared to drop a few four-letter words during the exchange.
Booker, who insisted he was yelling to an official and not Doncic before the confrontation, said he doesn’t have any personal problem with the Slovenian star. However, he sees the incident as a welcome change for a league that’s often criticized for opponents being too friendly.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) exchange words and have to be separated late in the fourth quarter at the American Airlines Center
‘You guys say you don’t want everybody to be friendly-friendly,’ Booker said. ‘There you go, we got some smoke… It’s just two competitors going at it. Everybody speaks on how friendly the NBA is right now and don’t like that. I have no problem with Luka on or off the court, but when we’re competing, we’re competing.’
Doncic did not buy Booker’s claim that the Suns guard was yelling at the officials.
‘Based on the words, I don’t think so,’ Doncic said.
It was the 14th technical of the season for Doncic, two away from a one-game suspension.
The teams finished tied 2-2 in the season series, with playoff seedings in the Western Conference wide open below top-seeded Denver.
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, right, pulls up to shoot while being defended by Phoenix Suns defender Devin Booker, left, during the first half
The bunched-up standings could mean an early rematch from last season’s West semifinals, when Doncic and the Mavs blew out Booker, Chris Paul and the Suns in Game 7 in Phoenix.
A photo of a goofy-grinning Doncic looking at Booker went viral after that series. The last regular-season meeting of 2022-23 brought more tension.
‘I loved it,’ said Hardaway, who scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half and was 6 of 8 on 3-pointers. ‘I know 77 isn’t going to back down from anybody. It was bound to happen at some point, them coming face to face. Just happy it happened here at home.’
Durant finished with a game-high 37, while Booker added 36 for the Suns.
Doncic had 34 for Dallas, while Irving chipped in 30.
The Mavericks dropped to 4-5 since acquiring Irving from the Nets.
