Luka Doncic’s layup with three seconds left only added to the drama of Sunday’s Phoenix Suns-Dallas Mavericks game.
Down by two, the Mavericks star missed point-blank at the rim in the final seconds. Phoenix’s Kevin Durant secured the rebound and Doncic was forced to foul him.
That’s when things got spicy.
Suns star Devin Booker appeared to start tweeting in Doncic’s direction, and the Mavs star took exception, immediately jumping in Booker’s face.
Both players received a technical foul for their actions and the Suns held on to win 130-126.
After the game ended, the other half of the Mavs’ dynamic duo, Kyrie Irving, also had words for Booker.
After the game, Booker said he wasn’t going to “tattletale” about the moment, but said he was actually talking to the ref because he thought Doncic got away with momentum before his missed layup.
He also seemed to embrace the back and forth between the two.
“You guys [in the media] You always say you don’t want everybody to be ‘nice,’ so there you go: you got some smoke,” Booker said.
According to party journalistsDoncic told Booker to “shut the [expletive] up” and Doncic disagreed that Booker wasn’t talking to him, saying, “Based on the words, I don’t think so.” He also took another shot at Booker.
“It’s a competitive game,” Doncic said. “It’s okay. Next time, don’t wait until there’s three seconds left to speak.”
Sunday wasn’t the first time there’s been a notable back-and-forth between Doncic and Booker.
In their Western Conference semifinal matchup last spring, Booker was heard on a fan’s video saying “Luka’s special” after exaggerating contact after a foul. After Suns win Game 5 of this series, Doncic said: ‘Everybody plays hard when they’re ready’ while leaving the court.
Doncic and the Mavericks had the last laugh in this series, winning Game 7 by 33 points.
Booker didn’t deny that some of Sunday’s back-and-forth dated back to last season’s playoffs. However, he downplayed any notion that Doncic doesn’t like him.
“They’re just two competitors,” Booker said. “… I have no problem with Luka on or off the court. But when we’re competing, we’re competing.”
FOX Sports Top Stories:
Get more from the National Basketball Association Follow your favorites for information on games, news and more