"Stop fuc*ing flopping" - Leaked audio of Grant Williams' altercation with Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic
The tension between rivals Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns appears to have escalated on Wednesday after Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic had a heated exchange with Grant Williams in the first quarter. The Mavs forward seemed to have started the fracas by shoving and stepping over Durant, with Nurkic coming to his teammate's defense.
What happened on the floor has become clearer for fans after supposed audio leaks of the incident made rounds on X (formerly Twitter.) KD took offense to being walked over, while Williams accused the Suns star of flopping.
A total of seven technical fouls
The incident in the first quarter resulted in a tech being whistled on each of the three players. That set the tone for the rest of the contest as things became chippy between the two sides.
Phoenix ended up winning 132-109, although it trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half. It rallied near the end of the second period, which continued after halftime behind an offensive explosion from Devin Booker and all-around games by Durant and Bradley Beal.
Along the way, four more technical fouls were called, including one more on Williams, leading to his automatic ejection. Incidentally, Nurkic was also involved in that play.
The Suns big man got position in the paint and backed down Williams, who fell to the floor. He then sank the uncontested layup before taunting Grant and calling him "too fu*king small." A furious Williams went at the referee and was thrown out of the game for complaining.
Getting the last laugh
Durant and his teammates got the last laugh against a physical Mavs squad and its rowdy home crowd. The former MVP even managed to throw one more barb versus a heckler by reminding those in the audience of how many career points he has. He might have to review his numbers, though, as he has yet to eclipse the 28,000-point mark.
As for Dallas, it certainly was a disappointing evening. Luka Doncic even got into it with a Suns supporter wearing the jersey of his rival, Devin Booker.
The regular season series is now tied at 1-1 after the Mavs won the first meeting behind Doncic's 50 points. In less than a month, the third and final matchup will take place, and fans are likely anticipating how physical or impassioned the game will be.
Perhaps the teams can figure in a face-off in the playoffs, although that might be a pipe dream for now. The Suns sit in fifth place, while Dallas is currently in the play-in tournament picture, ranking eighth in the Western Conference.
