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Nurkic, 2 Dallas players ejected from fight in 3rd
The Phoenix Suns (15-14) host the Dallas Mavericks (19-11) on Friday, airing on Arizona’s Family (Ch. 3 TV) at 7 p.m.
This is the first of back-to-back games for both teams, and the second of their three-game season series.
Devin Booker (left groin) will miss his fourth consecutive game for the Suns. Dallas star Luka Doncic (calf strain) is out for at least a month. The Suns are led by Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal without Booker, and the Mavericks’ other top players are Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson.
Phoenix is coming off its 110-100 home win against Denver on Christmas, which snapped a three-game skid. Dallas lost at Minnesota, 105-99, on the holiday. Phoenix and Dallas are eighth and fourth in the Western Conference standings.
Check azcentral for live updates of scores, highlights, and statistics during the Suns-Mavericks game.
All things Suns: Latest Phoenix Suns news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
Suns’ Nurkic, 2 Mavericks players ejected in 3rd
Kevin Durant scored 15 of his 28 points in the third quarter, and Phoenix is still down 72-64.
But an altercation in the quarter was by far the most intense moment of the game.
As the Suns were down 60-44 at 9:02, Nurkic was called for an offensive foul for hooking Daniel Gafford on a post move, whch made them both fall.
As Nurkic walked back toward the Mavericks’ end of the floor, he stopped and said something as he walked toward Kyrie Irving’s huddle. Nurkic and Naji Marshall then exchanged more words and Nurkic swung at Marshall, which ignited the dustup. Marshall punched Nurkic in the neck and then P.J. Washington shoved Nurkic.
After the scrap went under the officials’ review, all three players were assessed Flagrant 2 fouls, leading to automatic ejections.
The Suns went on a brief 6-0 run thereafter to cut the lead to 10 at 6:26, but the Mavericks pushed the lead back up to 18 on Kyrie Irving’s fifth make from deep at 3:45. Durant led the Suns on a 12-2 run to close the third, trimming the lead to eight.
Mavericks stretch lead, Suns struggle in 2nd quarter
Phoenix is down by its largest deficit, 55-39 at halftime. The Suns committed five of their seven turnovers in the second quarter.
Durant has the Suns’ team-high 13 points, but he cooled off from his 4-of-4 hot start in the opening period, going just 1-of-5 entering the intermission. Beal had nine points (4-of-11).
The Mavericks’ Irving had the game-high 15 points and their big Daniel Gafford had 10.
The Suns’ shooting tapered off to 3-of-12 overall in the second quarter, after they hit 10-of-25 in the first.
Durant, Suns answer Irving, Maverick surge in 1st quarter
Phoenix trails Dallas 28-25 entering the second quarter.
Former Brooklyn teammates Durant and Irving both had the hot hands in the opening period. Durant had nine points on a perfect 4-for-4, and Irving scored the game-high 12 on 4-of-6, all from deep.
The Suns had a slow start as the Mavericks jumped out to a 14-4 lead, courtesy of Irving nailing his first three attempts. After the Suns’ called timeout at 8:45 to stop the early bleeding, the Suns answered that early Mavericks’ surge with their own 8-0 run led by Beal (five points) and Durant, along with two steals by Ryan Dunn and Jusuf Nurkic.
Irving hit his fourth trey to put the Mavericks up 17-12, then the Suns’ Tyus Jones and Mavericks’ Maxi Kleber traded 3s.
Josh Okogie contributed two made 3s off the bench for the Suns.
Starting lineups
The Suns are starting Tyus Jones and Bradley Beal in the backcourt, Ryan Dunn at the three, Kevin Durant, and Jusuf Nurkic in the middle.
The Mavericks will open with Irving running the point, two-guard Thompson, forwards Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford at center.
Suns’ Allen, Bol out
Phoenix sharpshooter Grayson Allen (concussion) and 7-footer Bol Bol (left knee) will miss their fourth straight games. Collin Gillespie and TyTy Washington are both out on G League assignments.
Dallas big Dereck Lively II (hip) and Dante Exum (wrist) are out.
In a heated matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks, tempers flared in the third quarter resulting in a scuffle that led to the ejection of Jusuf Nurkic and two Dallas players. The altercation began when Nurkic got tangled up with Mavericks players during a rebounding exchange, leading to a shoving match that quickly escalated into a full-blown fight.
Both teams had to be separated by officials as punches were thrown and players exchanged words. In the end, Nurkic, along with two Dallas players, were ejected from the game for their involvement in the incident.
The intensity of the game only heightened as a result of the scuffle, with both teams playing with even more passion and determination. Despite the ejections, the game continued on with the remaining players stepping up to fill the void left by their teammates.
The incident serves as a reminder of the competitiveness and physicality that can be seen in NBA games, as players are willing to stand up for themselves and their teammates in the heat of the moment. As the game continued, it was clear that both teams were not backing down, making for an exciting and intense matchup until the final buzzer.
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