Devin Booker has somber take on first Suns-Mavs game without Luka Doncic

Devin Booker looks on wearing a Suns warmup shirt

Mar 3, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker prior to the game against the Toronto Raptors at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Devin Booker on Sunday could sense the difference in the air when his Phoenix Suns arrived in Dallas, Texas to face the Dallas Mavericks.

A Mason Plumlee dunk gave the Suns a 26-24 lead with two minutes left in the first quarter at American Airlines Center. From that point on, Phoenix controlled the game the entire way, never trailing again in the 125-116 road win.

The game was the Suns’ first against the Mavericks since Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Booker, who has had several flare-ups with Doncic over the years, was asked after the game about facing Dallas without his Slovenian nemesis on the opposite end of the court.

“I mean you can feel it,” Booker told reporters. “You can feel it when you land. The vibes are low right now, but hopefully they can look back and once everybody gets healthy, on top of next season, and still root on their team and their city.”

Booker and Doncic famously feuded when the Suns and Mavericks faced off during the 2022 Western Conference semifinals. The two have shared a level of animosity since then, with Booker even trolling the Mavs after the Doncic trade went down.

Several fans on X could feel Booker having mixed emotions about losing his biggest rival, at least to a different team.