"I can’t throw a punch!" - Phoenix Suns $12,998,353 forward gets candid on not stepping in for Jusuf Nurkic during Naji Marshall scuffle

The Phoenix Suns-Dallas Mavericks game was in the news for the scuffle among players. Jusuf Nurkic, Naji Marshall, and PJ Washington were all involved in a physical altercation on the court during the third quarter. All three were ejected after review by the game officials.

It is usual for teammates to take sides and stand for each other, sometimes even throwing a punch or two as well. However, Suns rookie Ryan Dunn was in no mood to get himself involved in the fight. The $12,998,353 Suns forward said that he hadn't accumulated enough wealth to risk getting fined by the league.

With less than three minutes into the third quarter, Nurkic was called for an offensive foul, his second in the game. In the midst of retreating to the defensive end, Nurkic turned behind and walked towards Marshall.

Marshall gave a push to Nurkic on his chest, and the Phoenix Suns center responded with a slap on Marshall's face, who responded with a punch. Washington also got involved in the scuffle and pushed Nurkic to the floor.

Kevin Durant responds to the scuffle

The reaction to the fight came from both camps after the game. One of the responses came from Suns superstar Kevin Durant. When Durant was asked during the post-game media interaction, he said that he didn't know the conversation between players before the fight.

The 2014 MVP refrained from taking one side, and he said that he had turned away right before the scuffle started. However, the two-time NBA champion said that scuffles also happen because of competition between players.

"I turned around at the right time to be honest. I didn't know what they were talking about ... I just seen a couple of punches get thrown," Durant said. "You hate to see that in this game. Cos you know guys would get suspended, maybe lose a lot of money doing that."

"That's what happens when you compete, sometimes tempers flare up a little bit and you go overboard and then on the other side you try to protect yourself as well. It's unfortunate situation but I understood both, I understood what Dallas was thinking, their perspective," he added.

According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the league has slapped multiple-game suspensions on Nurkic and Marshall. While the Suns center has been suspended for three games, Marshall received a four-game suspension.

Phoenix and Dallas have faced each other three times this season, and the Suns lead the season series by 2-1. Both teams will face each other one more time in March 2025.