The Phoenix Suns‘ last game against the Houston Rockets took an ugly turn towards the end. Devin Booker and Cam Whitmore got into a scuffle midway through the fourth quarter. As things started to heat up, the two had to be separated by players and staff members before it could get any worse. After the game, even though the Suns registered a solid win, most of the conversation was about the scuffle.
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With 6:50 left on the clock in the 4th quarter, Booker buried a perfect three-pointer, taking his team’s lead to 9 points. On his way down the court, Booker and Whitmore exchanged a few words. Seconds later, the two were going against one another physically.
Before they were separated, Whitmore appeared to take a swing at Booker. It was chaos on the court as players and staff flooded in to save any further damage. After the game, Booker stated that there wasn’t any bad blood between the two and that it was all in the spirit of the game.
He said, “I think it’s always fun to turn it up a little bit. Getting ultra-competitive. That’s what this sports about; I feel like we’re getting away from it, as a whole NBA…Nothing personal, just competition”. The Suns’ star was in a perfect position to make such a statement. After all, he had a great game despite what took place at the end.
Booker dropped 35 points with 7 rebounds, and 3 assists while playing for 39 minutes. His performance helped his team register a 5-point victory and extend their winning streak to two. While Booker walked off the court a hero, Whitmore is slowly gaining a bad reputation in his rookie year.
Jusuf Nurkic blasts Cam Whitmore after his altercation with Devin Booker
Jusuf Nurkic spoke to the reporters after the game and when asked about the Booker-Whitmore situation, the Suns center didn’t mince his words. The 29-year-old said,
“The kid did some bulls**t in Houston too, if you remember. So, they want to play that nonsense basketball…I will always have the back of my teammates”.
Now, it’s unclear which Houston incident Nurkic was referring to, but Whitmore’s last big fight was against LaMelo Ball about a month ago when the two went into a brutal verbal altercation.
Even if the incident cannot be pinpointed, Whitmore’s reputation in his first year as an NBA player isn’t what he would’ve hoped for. Averaging 12 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and shooting 46.9% from the field, his natural aggression often takes over his game, especially when he is going against the Suns.
This could turn into a great rivalry in the future, but for now, Whitmore needs to sharpen his game a little more before going against the big guns.
