NBA superstar Kevin Durant did not take kindly to being stepped over by Grant Williams as the Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks 132-109.
Williams got a little overzealous when trying to be physical with Durant as the latter was bumped to the ground.
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However, the Mavericks star poured fuel onto the flames when he decided to step over Durant while the latter was on the ground.
Durant’s Phoenix teammate Josef Nurkic was quick to the scene and shoved Williams, sparking a retaliation from the latter when he tried to push Nurkic away.
The incident then lead to an all-in scuffle as players from both teams tried to diffuse the situation.
Durant, Nurkic and Williams all received technical fouls for their role in the altercation.
The incident was the flashpoint in a contest which witnessed a significant capitulation from the Mavericks in the second half.
Having led by one point at half time, Dallas was outscored 43-20 in the second half as they capitulated in front of their own fans.
Dallas superstar Luka Doncic was the only bright spot for the hosts as he came agonisingly close to a triple double with 34 points, eight rebounds and nine assists but received little help from his teammates.
Devin Booker dazzled for the Suns with a 46-point haul while Durant finished with a double-double courtesy of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
WARRIORS’ TOUCHING TRIBUTE AFTER COACH’S SHOCK DEATH
The Golden State Warriors paid an emotional tribute to Dejan Milojevic on Wednesday as the team returned to play for the first time since the Serbian assistant coach died last week from a heart attack.
The Warriors went on to beat the Atlanta Hawks 134-112, but it was all about the moving scenes before the match that dominated the headlines.
In a moving pre-game ceremony ahead of the Warriors’ home game against Atlanta, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr led a lengthy ovation to salute the 46-year-old affectionately known as “Deki”.
Warriors players wore team jerseys emblazoned with Milojevic’s name while the Serbian national anthem was played in honour of the late coach.
Players then placed their jerseys on Milojevic’s usual seat on the Warriors bench.
Warriors players also wore t-shirts with the word “Brate” — “brother” in Serbian — during the warm-up.
That gesture was mirrored in Dallas, where Mavericks star Luka Doncic wore the same T-shirt ahead of his team’s clash with Phoenix.
“The world lost a beautiful soul last week,” Kerr told a hushed Chase Center crowd on Wednesday.
“Deki was a wonderful friend, a hell of a basketball coach, a great man and most importantly, a beautiful grandson, son, husband and father.
“What he meant to us is a huge part of who we are. He’s a part of our soul. The outpouring of love that we received this past week from all over the world … is a direct reflection of the joy and love that he brought to everybody he met.
“So tonight, rather than a moment of silence, I’d like for all of us to give Deki an ovation that he can hear up in heaven.”
Milojevic, who played in Spain and Turkey as well as his homeland, where he began his coaching career, joined the Warriors as an assistant in 2021.
He was part of the staff on the team that won the NBA championship in 2022. He died last week after collapsing during a team dinner in Salt Lake City, plunging the Warriors and the NBA community into mourning.
Warriors players will play with a patch bearing Milojevic’s initials — “DM” — on team jerseys for the remainder of the season.
A DM logo inside a heart will also remain on the Warriors home court for the rest of the season.
ELSEWHERE …
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ eight-game winning streak came to a grinding halt at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks emerged 126-116 victors over the Cavaliers in their first game since firing for former head coach Adrian Griffin.
Griffin’s firing came as somewhat of a surprise given Milwaukee were 30-13 and sitting in second in the Eastern Conference standings at the time.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo came up big with a triple double as he finished with a box score of 35 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists.
New Miami recruit Terry Rozier endured a disastrous debut for his new team after the Heat lost 105-96 to a heavily-depleted Memphis Grizzlies.
Rozier, who moved to Miami on Wednesday as part of a deal to send Kyle Lowry to Charlotte, scored nine points along with four rebounds and five assists in the defeat.
FULL RESULTS
Pistons 113-106 Hornets
Wizards 107-118 Timberwolves
Heat 96-105 Grizzlies
Rockets 131-137 Trail Blazers
Bucks 126-116 Cavaliers
Mavericks 109-132 Suns
Warriors 134-112 Hawks
Spurs 114-140 Thunder