Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving make feelings clear on Jusuf Nurkic-Naji Marshall altercation 

Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant shared his thoughts on the altercation between Jusuf Nurkic and Naji Marshall during Friday night's game against the Dallas Mavericks. In a postgame press conference, Durant expressed his distaste for situations that result in player suspensions or fines.

However, Durant also acknowledged the competitive nature of the game, understanding the circumstances each player faced. He hoped that everyone involved could move on from the incident.

"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," Kevin 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."

Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving, on the other hand, appeared to defend the actions of his teammates and even offered to pay the subsequent fines that would be issued to the duo.

However, Irving sarcastically added that perhaps this kind of incident was just what the league needed to boost its ratings. The NBA has been grappling with a decline in TV ratings, with many blaming the players' excessive focus on 3-point shots or the high cost of cable and streaming subscriptions.

"It happened so quickly. But in moments like that, you just want everybody to protect themselves. I felt like that's what PJ was doing for Naji. After Naji got hit, he was just protecting himself," Kyrie Irving said. "If we're out on the street, even though we're not playing basketball, you have to protect yourself. You have to put your hands up and at least swing back."

Suns' Jusuf Nurkic and Mavericks duo of Naji Marshall and PJ Washington were ejected during the second half of the game at the Footprint Center.

Nurkic was called for an offensive foul on Daniel Gafford in the third quarter. He returned to the scene when he slapped Marshall after the Mavs player appeared to say something to him.

Marshall retaliated with a punch and Washington shoved Nurkic to the floor. All three players were issued technical fouls and subsequently ejected. The Suns eventually lost the game 98-89.

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Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns lose again

Kevin Durant and the Suns (15-15) are on a difficult run, losing four of their last five games. Their only win was the 110-100 win over the Denver Nuggets on Christmas Day.

Phoenix Suns Kevin Durant (Credits: IMAGN)

The game against the Mavericks was meant to see them build on the win over the Nuggets. However, they fell to a Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks.

While the altercation on the court may be distracting, the Suns need to step up in their next game. They take the road to face the Golden State Warriors (15-15) in their last game for the year on Saturday.