Luka Doncic, Devin Booker Exchange Respect Ahead of Christmas Battle

It's nothing but respect between two of the NBA's best.

PHOENIX -- It's Christmas time in the Valley, and soon presents under the tree will be followed by the presence of the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks on screens across the globe. 

It's a notable matchup as the two Western Conference powers have had some notable run-ins with each other in recent history. 

Stars are all across the board, and for a league that drives off drama-driven storylines, look no further than the rivalry of Devin Booker and Luka Doncic. 

Both are considered to be top scorers in the NBA. Both have (in their own right) a bit of a chip on their shoulder and add just a little extra to the game besides their talents. 

So when the two meet on the court, there's usually a nice moment or two between Doncic-Booker. That's been proven in the past and is likely to continue if/when the stakes get higher.

Ahead of their big Christmas Day meeting, two of the best in the west showed nothing but respect to each other:

"It's competitive basketball," Doncic told ESPN's Malika Andrews earlier this week. "I really love his game, the way he plays. A lot of times, I watch Phoenix, actually, because of him. He's a really, really great player. But obviously, we have this competition whenever we face each other.

"I respect him a lot. Like I said, I love his game. I love the pace of his game. He now has a new role as point guard, so I think he's becoming really good."

At Phoenix's shootaround on Sunday, Booker shared that mutual feeling:

“I think that’s just another moment that proves what social media is about. People try to stir drama and look for anything clickbait,” Booker told reporters on Sunday.

“Me and Luka’s respect for each other has been mutual and at a high level since he came into the league. Obviously a playoff series gets super competitive - as every game does, but the world just takes sh-- and runs with it and that’s fine. It’s good for the game, good for traction, good for views but there’s no problem amongst each other. We just compete at the highest level.”

Suns-Mavericks tips off just past 8:30 PM on Christmas Day.