Christmas Day in the NBA brought a heated matchup between the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks, two teams with a history of fiery encounters. The third quarter saw a new twist as Devin Booker and Grant Williams got tangled up, adding another layer of intrigue to the already intense game.

Booker, no stranger to clashes with the Mavericks, usually finds himself sparring with Luka Doncic. This time, however, it was the tenacious Williams who got under Booker's skin. The incident stemmed from a screen set by Suns center Drew Eubanks, with Williams aggressively following him and Booker's screen impeding his path.

The two ended up in a physical tangle under the basket, with Williams drawing the foul. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and Luka Doncic even intervened to keep things from escalating further.

Despite the Suns holding a 100-96 lead with under 10 minutes remaining, the night hasn't been kind to their star duo. Booker, struggling against Dallas' defensive focus, has managed only 14 points on 3-10 shooting, with half coming from the free throw line. Kevin Durant, also facing shooting woes, is 4-10 from the field but has 16 points thanks to his perfect free throw shooting.

The Suns are missing Bradley Beal with a sprained ankle and starting center Jusuf Nurkic for personal reasons. This makes a potential victory against the Mavericks even more crucial.

With Booker and Durant struggling to find their rhythm, the Suns have found surprising contributions from third-string center Chimezie Metu. The rarely used big man has been a force with 21 points, 17 rebounds, and two assists. Grayson Allen has also stepped up, scoring 32 points with impressive shooting from both inside and outside the arc.

The Christmas Day matchup between the Suns and Mavericks is far from over. The Booker-Williams tangle adds another layer of drama to the game, and with both teams fighting for the win, the remaining minutes promise to be exciting and unpredictable.