Tensions between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns escalated quickly on Friday.
Three players — the Suns’ Jusuf Nurkić and the Mavericks’ P.J. Washington and Naji Marshall — were ejected after a brawl interrupted play in the third quarter.
The fracas began when Nurkić hit Dallas center Daniel Gafford with a hard elbow, drawing an offensive foul. As the Bosnian big man walked away with Gafford on the ground, he appeared to hear Marshall say something and approached him and Washington.
Marshall put his hands on Nurkić’s chest, Nurkić responding by smacking him in the head and Marshall got in a punch before the officials stepped in to break up the confrontation.
Here’s the sequence that led to three ejections. Nurkic extends his arm, fouls Gafford. Nurkic mushes Marshall’s head. Marshall punches back. pic.twitter.com/1yoZTP9Kyj
— Christian Clark (@cclark_13) December 28, 2024
The true highlight of the play: Kyrie Irving’s reaction.
The end result was three quick ejections and, because the Mavericks’ ejectees outnumbered the Suns, a free throw for the Suns, which was made by Kevin Durant. It wasn’t a bad trade from the Suns’ perspective, as Washington and Marshall are both starters and among Dallas’ most important defenders.
Nurkić exited the game with three points on 1-of-4 shooting, five rebounds and two assists, while Washington and Marshall combined for 11 points. Durant led all scorers with 35 points.
Phoenix did outscore the Mavericks for the rest of the game, but not enough to avoid a 98-89 loss to push their record down to 15-15.