On Friday, the Phoenix Suns lost to the Dallas Mavericks 98-89. Things became heated during the game when Suns center Jusuf Nurkic and Mavs forward Naji Marshall got into a fight. Three players in all were kicked out of the game.
Early in the third quarter, Nurkic was called for an offensive foul and was guarded by Mavs center Daniel Gafford. As the big Bosnian man crossed the floor, Marshall had some things to say. After returning to the location where the foul was called, the Suns big man spoke to the opposing forward.
The two big men started swinging at each other and had to be separated. Dallas’ PJ Washington Jr. grabbed Nurkic to protect his teammate and pushed him on the floor. Overall, the three players involved in the altercation were ejected from the game.
After their bout, Suns’ Kevin Durant spoke to the reporters and shared his disappointment with what happened.
“I turned around at the right time to be honest. I didn’t know what they were talking about … I just seen a couple of punches get thrown,” Kevin Durant said. “You hate to see that in this game. Cos you know guys would get suspended, maybe lose a lot of money doing that.”
“That’s what happens when you compete, sometimes tempers flare up a little bit and you go overboard and then on the other side you try to protect yourself as well. It’s unfortunate situation but I understood both, I understood what Dallas was thinking, their perspective.”
"I turned around at the right time…I didn't know what they were talking about"
Kevin Durant didn't see Jusuf Nurkic fight, but added: "You hate to see that in this game…unfortunate situation but I understood both-I understood what Dallas was thinking, their perspective" pic.twitter.com/bvyjO3wA43
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) December 28, 2024
The league hasn’t released a statement regarding what happened at the Footprint Center. However, it is expected that Washington, Marshall, and Nurkic will be suspended and fined.
Former teammate of the Phoenix Suns star shared his thoughts on the altercation
While fans were left speechless by what happened in the game between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, the players had a few things to say. Former teammate of Durant, Kyrie Irving, gave this thoughts on what happened after the game.
“It happened so quickly. But in moments like that, you just want everybody to protect themselves. I felt like that’s what PJ was doing for Naji. After Naji got hit, he was just protecting himself,” Kyrie Irving said. “If we’re out on the street, even though we’re not playing basketball, you have to protect yourself. You have to put your hands up and at least swing back.”
"Throw that shit under the rug. Excuse my language."
Kyrie Irving said he'll pay fines for Naji Marshall, P.J. Washington after fight with Jusuf Nurkic.
"Maybe that's just the way we end 2024 where somebody actually swings in the NBA. Maybe that will help our ratings." #Suns pic.twitter.com/BDbvLyHkZW
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) December 28, 2024
The next game between the two teams will be on March 9, which will also be the final game of their season series.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
