The rivalry between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns reached another boiling point on Friday night, adding to the growing list of intense moments between these two teams in recent years. The game took a fiery turn when Jusuf Nurkic, Naji Marshall, and P.J. Washington were ejected following a heated altercation.
During the scuffle, Marshall appeared to land a clean straight right hand on Nurkic’s chin. Wasting no time, Marshall updated his banner on X (formerly Twitter) after the game to a picture of the punch, embracing the drama and trolling Nurkic in the process.
The fight encapsulated the nature of a gritty game that ended in a 98-89 Mavericks victory. Both teams struggled offensively, relying heavily on their defenses in what turned into a slugfest. Ultimately, the Mavericks prevailed, led by Kyrie Irving’s 20 points.
Marshall contributed just four points in 19 minutes before being ejected, while Washington added seven points in 20 minutes. On the Suns’ side, Nurkic managed just three points in 14 minutes before his early exit.
The Suns will likely view this loss as a missed opportunity for several reasons. First, Mavericks star Luka Doncic was sidelined with a calf strain sustained on Christmas Day. Without Doncic and with Irving struggling to find his rhythm, Dallas faced significant offensive challenges but still managed to secure the win.
Adding to the Suns’ frustration, Kevin Durant delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 35 points on 11-for-19 shooting. However, his teammates failed to provide adequate support, with Bradley Beal going just 5-for-18 from the field. Overall, the Suns shot less than 33% as a team outside of Durant’s efforts, making the defeat even more disappointing.