The NBA regular season game between the Suns and the Mavericks at the Suns' home court ended in an unexpected way. This match, originally highly anticipated for the direct confrontation between Durant and Irving, became a hot topic due to a brawl on the court. The chaotic scene not only left the audience stunned but also left Mavericks star Irving standing there with a basketball, at a loss. NBA players surrounded and swung fists from multiple angles, please pay attention to the referees, Irving was scared.
The game started with the Mavericks quickly taking the initiative. Irving was in hot form, hitting consecutive three-pointers, helping the team to a dream start of 14-4. The Suns seemed to be struggling, barely keeping up with the point difference under Durant's leadership. At the end of the first quarter, the Mavericks only led by 3 points, but their firepower was clearly not exhausted. In the second quarter, the Suns' offense completely fizzled out, while the Mavericks expanded their lead to 16 points with a multi-flower attack. The game took a dramatic turn in the third quarter. Nurkic and the Mavericks' Marshall and Washington suddenly erupted into physical conflict during a scramble under the basket. The argument escalated to multiple people swinging fists and shoving each other, with the situation once out of control. The referees quickly intervened to expel the three troublemakers and tried their best to calm the situation. From the video replay, it can be seen that Irving wanted to go forward to understand the situation, but after witnessing the chaotic scene, his expression was full of confusion and bewilderment, holding the basketball without moving for a long time, and finally chose to retreat to the side under the intervention of the referee.
This scene quickly sparked heated discussions on social media. Some fans jokingly said, "Irving holds the ball with an innocent face, it's like the audience in the modern version of the 'Auburn Hills incident'." Overall, this conflict is obviously not as intense as the Auburn Hills Palace incident back then, but in the current "increasingly harmonious" NBA, it still seems quite rare. After the chaos, the game resumed. Durant showed his superstar style, scoring 15 points in a single quarter, helping the team reduce the point difference to single digits. However, Irving played calmly in the game, stabilizing the Mavericks' situation with several key assists and scores. At the end of the third quarter, the Mavericks still had an 8-point lead. In the final quarter, the Mavericks continued to firmly control the situation. Klay scored both inside and outside, always giving timely counterattacks under Durant's efforts to reverse the score. Eventually, the Mavericks defeated the Suns 98-89, improving their record to 20 wins and 11 losses, and consolidating their competitive position in the West.
In terms of data, Durant scored the highest 35 points in the game, showing his super personal ability, but the Suns' overall offensive efficiency was low, making them seem helpless. The Mavericks, on the other hand, had many points blooming, with Irving scoring 20 points and sending out 5 assists, and players such as Gafford, Kleber, and Dinwiddie also contributing important points. Compared to the Suns' over-reliance on Durant, the Mavericks' team play was clearly more stable. Looking back at the controversial moments of this game, although the scene was chaotic, the conflict behind the players also reflected the "contradiction" of the current NBA. Whether it is the strict enforcement of rules or the huge pressure of off-court public opinion, today's players are more inclined to solve problems in a restrained way. And Irving's "staring blankly with the ball" scene may just be a reflection of this trend.
Despite this, the game is still full of topics, and some even mentioned the famous Auburn Hills Palace incident 20 years ago for comparison. Although the two differ greatly in scale and severity, the appearance of conflict scenes always triggers people's memories of the NBA's past style. Perhaps because of this, this game, despite having no suspense, still aroused heated discussions after the game.
