Phoenix Suns

Patrick Beverley is getting blasted by current and former NBA hoopers after criticizing Chris Paul on TV this morning ... with Damian Lillard and Matt Barnes going in on the NBA vet.

Pat Bev ripped Paul -- aka the "Point God" -- on 'First Take' on Monday for his abysmal performance in Game 7 against the Mavericks, saying head coach Monty Williams should've benched the future HOF'er.

FYI, Paul scored 10 points in 30 minutes. The Suns got their doors blown off, losing 123-90 ... at home.

The criticism didn't sit well with Dame, who hit social media and wrote ... "Bra on TV acting like his word law. Speaking on private convos and praying on mfs downfall. This weird behavior smh 🤷🏽‍♂️ … I ain’t got a horse in the race."

Beverley, who was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, said he knew the Mavs would win yesterday because "aint nobody afraid of anybody over there in Phoenix, man."

"Everybody in the league knows that," he continued.

And, Dame wasn't the only person Bev rubbed the wrong way (today) ... Matt Barnes went in on PB on ESPN's 'NBA Today.'

"I feel like what Pat Beverley did today to Chris Paul was completely disrespectful and out of the line," Barnes said. "Pat Bev is talking like he's that guy. You're not that guy."

He continued ... "Chris Paul played terrible this year and his numbers are still better than your career numbers have ever been," Matt said, adding, "The disrespect needs to be checked."

Barnes was clearly not here for Pat Bev coming after CP3, a future NBA Hall of Famer, and feels next time he needs to be put in his place for coming at Paul -- a star in the league.

As for Pat Bev and CP3, this is just the latest drama in their long-standing rivalry. Remember, Beverley pushed Paul in the back during the Western Conference Finals last season.

Beverley served a one-game suspension for his actions, but ultimately seemed to squash the beef with Paul on social media, wishing CP3 good luck during the 2021 NBA Finals.

The Phoenix Suns are making sure to show support for Brittney Griner for the remainder of their playoff run -- by putting a decal on their court in honor of the WNBA superstar as she remains detained in Russia.

As we previously reported, the Phoenix Mercury center has been detained since February ... after she was accused of having hash oil in her luggage while going through airport security.

Sports, entertainment and political figures have been calling for her release ever since ... with President Joe Biden's administration even claiming Griner is being wrongfully detained in hopes of bringing her home sooner.

The Suns revealed the "BG42" decal ahead of their game against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday ... saying, "One family. #WeAreBG."

"Honoring Brittney Griner on our court for the remainder of the playoffs. 💜🧡"

The decal is the same one the WNBA debuted recently ... with commissioner Cathy Engelbert promising to keep "Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community."

"We continue to work on bringing Brittney home," Englebert added, "and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time."

Devin Booker turned the toughest shot in the Suns' playoff game Tuesday night into the cutest ... dapping up a baby to celebrate a wild make!!!

The Phoenix star's adorable interaction with the courtside toddler happened after he drilled a stepback jumper to end the first quarter of the Suns vs. Pelicans game.

Booker dribbled to get some space and knocked down a 2-pointer before the buzzer sounded ... and then he fist bumped a toddler!

The scene was super sweet, Booker was gentle with the baby's little knuckles -- and, his own girlfriend, Kendall Jenner, appeared to love it all too!!

KJ posted video of her view of the play on IG -- seemingly enjoying every second of it.

Unfortunately for Booker ... his night took a turn for the worse about two quarters later -- because in the third, he injured his hamstring and couldn't return to action.

The Suns went on to lose without the star, 125-114 ... and there's now big concern in Phoenix about his availability for the rest of the playoffs.

Devin Booker was so pissed off at a courtside heckler on Wednesday night ... he berated the dude and called him a "p***y" in the middle of a play!!!

The wild scene all went down at some point during the Suns' road game with the Timberwolves ... when Booker clearly had enough of a hearing a Minnesota fan's taunts.

The Phoenix superstar was dribbling up the court, and after the guy said something to him, Booker looked him in the eye and screamed, "Shut up, p***y!"

Video shows the fan and people around him were shocked by what they just heard ... especially after Booker calmly cruised past the halfcourt line to initiate the offense.

The fans giggled after the diss -- but Devin was able to get the last laugh on the scoreboard ... leading Phoenix to a 125-116 win.

Of course, the exchange is no doubt going to cost Booker some money -- because everyone from Kevin Durant to Jusuf Nurkic has been fined for their roles in recent heated interactions with fans.