Watch: Grant Williams refuses to let go of Devin Booker's jersey amid heated physical altercation
Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns are hosting the Dallas Mavericks in one of Christmas Day’s marquee games. Monday is the first meeting between the two teams that have had some testy encounters over the last few years. In the third quarter of tonight’s game, things got interesting between the superstar guard and Mavericks forward Grant Williams.
In the past, Booker has been at the center of friction between the two teams. He has mostly gone back and forth with Luka Doncic. This time, it was the bruising forward that "Book" literally got tangled on.
The play happened after Suns center Drew Eubanks set up a screen for Kevin Durant. Eubanks quickly rolled to the paint with Grant Williams closely following him. Devin Booker’s screen, however, kept Williams from doing what he wanted.
Williams ran through Booker’s screen and the two got tangled up under the basket. Ironically enough, it was Luka Doncic who was the first to try and separate the two. Fortunately, cooler heads prevented the incident from escalating. Williams was called for a foul for his action.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are struggling tonight against the Dallas Mavericks
The Phoenix Suns hold a 100-96 lead with a little under 10 minutes left in the game. Devin Booker is having a rough night against Dallas’ attention to him on defense. The shooting guard has been limited to 14 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Half of his points have come from the free throw line where he is 7-of-10. Booker does have nine assists, three rebounds and one block.
Kevin Durant has also been misfiring. The former MVP is only 4-of-10 but has made all seven of his free throws for 16 points. He has also contributed seven rebounds, six assists and one block.
The Suns are trying to win the Christmas Day game without Bradley Beal who has a sprained ankle. Phoenix is also playing minus starting center Jusuf Nurkic who is out for personal reasons. It will be a big win for Phoenix if they manage to hold on for the win.
With Devin Booker and Kevin Durant having a hard time scoring, the Suns have gotten surprising contributions from third-string center Chimezie Metu. The seldom-used big man has 21 points, 17 rebounds and two assists.
Grayson Allen has picked up his scoring as well. The veteran guard has 32 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal. Allen has hit 12-of-20 shots, including a remarkable 8-of-15 shooting from behind the arc.