Devin Booker, Luka Doncic Exchange Heated Words in Phoenix Suns’ Win Over Dallas Mavericks

• Things got heated in the game between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns
• Devin Booker and Luka Doncic exchanged words near the end of the contest
• Kevin Durant sealed the win for the Suns with his patented jumper in the dying seconds

The rivalry between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns is heating up.

Tensions flared up near the end of the Suns’ 130-126 win over the Mavs, with Devin Booker and Luka Doncic exchanging words.

The Dallas star took offense to Booker’s words after he missed a wide-open 4-foot floater that would have evened the score in the dying seconds of regulation.

Booker and Doncic traded barbs, with both stars given technical fouls after the confrontation.

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According to Booker, he was telling the referee that Doncic had pushed off in that possession, and he should have been called for an offensive foul.

Doncic struggles with outside shot

Doncic begged to differ, saying that he didn’t think so based on Booker's words. The Slovenian star has 14 technical fouls this season, two shy of an automatic one-game suspension, per ESPN.

Doncic finished with 34 points but was highly inefficient with his shooting. He shot 8 of 23 from the field, including 1 of 9 from beyond the arc.

He was bothered by soreness in his left thigh, a problem that has been troubling Doncic for the past week.

Durant seals win for Suns

One major problem that the Doncic and the Mavs failed to solve on Sunday was the Suns’ All-Star duo of Kevin Durant and Booker.

They combined for 73 points in the win against Dallas. Durant scored 37 points on 12 of 17 shooting, while Booker dropped 36.

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Durant scored the biggest basket of the afternoon, draining a pull-up jumper with 14.1 seconds left to give the Suns the lead for good. They have now won three consecutive games since Durant joined the starting lineup.

The Kyrie Irving experiment, unfortunately, has yet to go according to plan for the Mavs. They are 2-5 in games Kyrie has played alongside Luka, with all five defeats decided in the final seconds.

Durant reacts to Kyrie matchup

Sports Brief recently reported on Durant’s reaction to facing Irving.

The two stars played together in Brooklyn earlier this season before the Nets shipped them off at the trade deadline.

Durant said he understands the entertainment aspect of their meeting, but for him, it is just another game.