A fight between Steven Adams and Mason Plumlee headlined the Phoenix Suns’ final game of their four-game road trip.
During the second quarter, Plumlee was going for a rebound when Adams wrapped him up. However, the latter wouldn’t let go, and neither would the Suns center.
As a result, both players didn’t let go and went down to the floor. For Suns fans and many alike, it was strange seeing Plumlee be so fired up. He’s usually more passive and doesn’t let his emotions get a hold of him.
However, this was not the case. For Adams, getting Plumlee out of the game was a must. After all, Phoenix had Nick Richards out that game and had a limited center depth.
Following the fight, official Tony Brothers declared technical fouls on both players and that they were ejected. After the game, Plumlee spoke to AZCentral’s Duane Rankin regarding the incident and what the cause of it was.
“He goes for every rebound and he does it whether it’s dirty or not,” Plumlee said. “I just felt like they were being more physical than us. I just made a point to hit him on the glass.”
How did Suns players react to Mason Plumlee?
One of the bystanders for that scuffle was shooting guard Devin Booker. Like most of the people in the arena and watching, he was a bit stunned at the two big men going at it.
The shooting guard posted 19 points, three rebounds, and four assists in the loss. He was taking a rest on the bench when he saw the Adams and Plumlee scuffle go down.
Regardless of who started the altercation, Booker stuck up for his teammate following the game and gave his take on the fight.
“Obviously I’m biased,” Booker said via Rankin. “But I feel like Steven tried to pick him up and slam him and Mason happened to just be on top of him.”
On the flip side, Booker’s teammate, Kevin Durant, wasn’t too phased by the altercation. Funny enough, the Suns All-Star had minimal words about it.
“My opinion on that does not matter,” Durant said.
Much of the same can be said for the Suns head coach, Mike Budenholzer. He’s no stranger to the game of basketball. Like most of the season, he kept his response to the point.
“It’s just two guys getting tangled up,” Budenholzer said. “Both physical, both competitors.”
Why did Mason Plumlee and Steven Adams fight?
As Plumlee mentioned, it was two players that were fighting for a rebound. However, that altercation was symbolic of teams punishing the Suns all season.
In the paint, they have dominated. Even when the Suns traded Josh Okogie for Nick Richards, teams haven’t been fearful. Not to mention, there’s an ample amount of trash talk.
With Booker and Durant being trash talkers themselves, this season hasn’t helped. Their record, combined with all of the rumors surrounding the team has put a target on their back.
Combined with the toughest remaining schedule in the league, Phoenix is in danger of missing the play-in tournament. Even though they hold the tiebreaker over the Dallas Mavericks, the latter could surpass them in win total.
Although they already have, if they finish with a better record than the Suns, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, the fight between Adams and Plumlee is symbolic of fighting back when it is too late.
The post Suns players give their take on Steven Adams-Mason Plumlee fight appeared first on ClutchPoints.
