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Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton and head coach Monty Williams got into an animated conversation on the bench during a 113-110 loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.
Ayton, whose relationship with Williams has appeared rocky in the past, could be seen gesturing toward someone on the bench as Williams angrily spoke to his center.
Deandre Ayton of the Suns high-fives Landry Shamet after scoring against the Washington Wizards at Footprint Center on Dec. 20, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
"It was the whole team in those moments," Williams said after the game, according to the Arizona Republic. "It wasn't just Deandre, it was the whole group out there not executing properly. It was a bit of frustration, but that happens. That was not an isolated one-person or one-player thing."
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The exchange occurred late in the fourth quarter as Washington went on a 15-0 run to grab the late lead.
Like Williams, Ayton downplayed the exchange after the game.
"We weren't really exchanging words," Ayton said. "We're a family. He knows how to talk to his boys and his boys know how to just communicate. Obviously, the whole world see it, but it's really all love and just getting us back to regroup and just take out the confusion."
The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for Phoenix, which lost five straight prior to the streak.
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Head coach Monty Williams of the Suns stands with Deandre Ayton at Footprint Center on Oct. 25, 2022, in Phoenix. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The relationship between Ayton and Williams came into question over the offseason after Ayton was benched during the Suns’ Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Williams called it an "internal" matter after Ayton played just 17 minutes in the game.
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Ayton returned to Phoenix in the summer after the Suns matched a four-year, $133 million offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers.
Head coach Monty Williams and Deandre Ayton of the Suns stand on the sidelines during the Dallas Mavericks game on Oct. 19, 2022, in Phoenix. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
"Everybody got to see us intensified in the moment," Ayton said. "Damn, we lost our upper hand. It can get a little emotional. Oh, I thought you said this, but coach clarified it up in the huddle where we all were exchanging words."
Phoenix is 19-13 on the season and in fourth place in the Western Conference.
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