WATCH: Devin Booker and Cam Whitmore get into a shoving contest during Suns-Rockets
Devin Booker and Cam Whitmore were involved in a kerfuffle when the Phoenix Suns hosted the Houston Rockets at the Footprint Center on Thursday. The Suns defeated the Rockets 110-105 and were led by Booker's 35-point performance coupled with seven boards and three assists.
However, the game wasn't without drama when the guard and Rockets forward Whitmore had to be separated, leading the referees to slap double technical fouls on both players.
With 6:48 remaining in the final quarter, Booker made a three-pointer to put the Suns up 93-84. When he was landing, the guard was shoved by Whitmore, who saw the former run into him. The two were involved in a shoving contest and exchanged words before they had to be separated by personnel from both teams.
This was the second time both players went at it earlier when Phoenix went down 110-114 to the Rockets at Toyota Center. On the game front, Kevin Durant had 24 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Center Jusuf Nurkic had 16 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks before fouling out. The biggest moment came in the fourth stretch, when he stuffed Whitmore twice on possession following the altercation, drawing huge roars from the Phoenix fans in the arena.
For the Rockets, Jalen Green had 34 points, and Fred VanVleet had 21 to show for. Whitmore ended his evening with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Both sides meet again on Saturday night.
Devin Booker erupted for 15 first-quarter points before he scuffled with Cam Whitmore
The Suns were off to a hot start after Devin Booker erupted for 15 points in the first quarter. This saw the side head into halftime 61-53. By the end of the game, Booker was 13-of-27 as Phoenix closed out the game with a win to improve to 35-24 and stay fifth in the packed West.
In the absence of Bradley Beal, the onus was on Booker and Durant to pace the offense, and the Suns did just that as both superstars combined for 59 points. Booker, an All-Star reserve this season currently averages 27.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 7.0 assists.
Despite the absence of Beal, the Suns are one of the teams primed to make the playoffs this season. With 23 games left in the season for the Suns, they will make a push to finish in the top five. As for their upcoming matchup with Houston, it remains to be seen if there are more fireworks in the offing between Devin Booker and Cam Whitmore.