The Phoenix Suns made it two wins in as many nights over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night, but this was a contest that supplied plenty of drama.
The noteworthy incident coming when Jose Alvarado of the Pelicans got into it with the much bigger Mark Williams, which devolved into punches being thrown and both players getting ejected.
Suns must now contend with opponents trying to get under their skin
What Alvarado and the Pelicans did here was not only clever, even if it ultimately didn't pay off, it is also a tactic the Suns are going to see a lot more of as the season progresses.
They have proven with their 18-13 record (winners of three straight) that they are a group that is together and trusts in one another. But what they also have are guys like Dillon Brooks and Collin Gillespie, who have no problem getting into it with opponents.
Look at Jordan Poole’s face when Jose Alvarado punches Mark Williams 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/5Pva2MJFUH
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) December 28, 2025
So when the Pelicans realized, like many have this season, that they were being outworked, they decided to play dirty and try and get one of the team's most effective players ejected.
In going after Williams they picked on a player who was appearing in his first back-to-back of the campaign, and who also clearly had no interest initially in mixing it up with Alvarado.
As the exchange went on Williams then began to let his own hands fly, which ultimately led to the ejection.
It was clear Alvarado was also trying to get both his teammates and the fans engaged, as he was the smallest guy on the court alongside Gillespie and went after a legit seven footer in Williams.
Fans are always going to be into that, and you can bet we will see it again at some point this season. Brooks has somehow been the hero before, but that won't be the case if he is put in this position.
When a roster doesn't have as much talent as their opponent, they will oftentimes do anything they can to win a game. The Suns aren't easily disturbed from what they are trying to do each night, but getting into a fight with them is going to force the officials to make some tough decisions.
We've already seen a version of this, with Grayson Allen (another fiery character) ejected for pushing Chet Holmgren earlier this season. Head coach Jordan Ott is going to have to game plan for this.