The Dallas Mavericks, without injured star Luka Doncic, won on the road against the Phoenix Suns (89-98) in a game in which the Footprint Center in Phoenix turned into a boxing ring at times and ended with three players ejected: Suns center Jusuf Nurkic and Mavericks forwards Naji Marshall and PJ Washington.

Nurkic was called for an offensive foul while being defended by Daniel Gafford with 9:02 minutes remaining in the third quarter (44-60), before the altercation quickly escalated.

Blows to the head and neck

Nurkic confronted Marshall before slapping him in the head, and Marshall responded with a punch to the neck. Washington quickly pushed Nurkic, who ended up on the ground before the teams were separated. The referees reviewed the play before deciding that the three players would be ejected.