Suns' Devin Booker Blasts Mavs' Grant Williams' 'Nonsense Tactics'
Few rivalries in the NBA are better than the one currently going between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.
The two organizations were big rivals in the mid-to-late 2000s, but the rivalry was renewed in 2022 when the Mavs beat the Suns in seven games after blowing them out 123-90 on their home court in the closing game. The tension that naturally comes with a rivalry boiled over in Dallas' 132-109 loss on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center, as Grant Williams was ejected after receiving two technical fouls.
The chippiness started not even four minutes into the game, as Suns star Kevin Durant ended up on the ground after being bumped by Williams, which drew a foul. With Durant on the ground, Williams went to step over him, and Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic pushed Williams. A shoving match ensued as Williams, Nurkic and Durant had to be separated. The three players each drew technical fouls for their actions.
Williams' role in the scuffle drew the ire of Suns guard Devin Booker.
"I saw [Grant Williams] step over [Kevin Durant]," Booker said after the game. "Just nonsense tactics, trying to get involved in the game in a way that we don't. We're just out there trying to hoop and play the right way. All the silly stuff is just extra."
Early in the third quarter, Williams went to the ground under the basket after taking a shoulder from Nurkic before he made a layup. After the Suns center stared him down, Williams went to a referee to voice his displeasure over the non-call, earning him his second technical foul, leading to his ejection.
Grant Williams.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
"He overtly yelled and gestured directly at the official also using profanity," NBA referee David Guthrie said per the pool report.
Williams' ejection was part of a disastrous third quarter for Dallas. The Suns outscored the Mavericks 43-20 in the period to pull away for good after the Mavs led by as many as 16 points twice in the second quarter. Booker scored 22 of his 46 points in the third quarter.
It was the latest disappointment in what has been a tough first season in Dallas thus far for Williams. The Mavs forward has averaged eight points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game through 40 games while not bringing the defensive impact that was expected when the season began.
While Booker was vocal about Williams, he noted that it's nothing personal toward anyone on the Mavericks, and the intensity between the two teams is typical after they've met recently in the postseason.
"I just think when teams have a recent playoff series against each other, that just heightens the atmosphere and heightens everything," Booker said. "The media does a good job of continuing it because they understand it gets traction - which is good for the game. It's good for viewership, it's great for the game, but I have no personal problem with anybody from Dallas - no fans or anything - and that's that."
The Suns (26-18) have won seven straight games and have moved up to fifth in the Western Conference. Dallas (24-20) has lost three in a row and is currently eighth in the West.
