Klay Thompson ejected for first time in his career in Warriors' loss to Suns
Although it’s only the fourth game of the 2022-23 season, Tuesday’s contest between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns brought playoff intensity.
With each team trading buckets, tempers began to flare in the third quarter. Seven total technical fouls were assessed in the third quarter alone, including a pair to one member of the Warriors, resulting in an ejection.
Throughout the game, Devin Booker and Klay Thompson appeared to be chirping back and forth with each other. After Thompson blocked Booker’s jumper, their chatter began to escalate.
As Booker and Thompson’s back-and-forth continued, the pair of All-Star guards received double technicals. The animated Thompson quickly picked up his second technical and was ejected from the contest with 6:31 remaining in the third period. Before being sent to the locker room, Thompson continued to have words with Phoenix’s bench. At one point, Thompson held up four fingers to signify the four championships the Warriors have won over the past decade.
Tuesday marked the first time Thompson was ejected from a game in his NBA career.
“I love Klay Thompson, I have for a really long time,” Booker said after the game. “But that doesn’t excuse us from being competitive and talking to each other. I’ve always admired his game, how he plays on both sides of the ball, and obviously the rings speak for themselves.
“But I’m going to bring it every time.”
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Thompson left the contest with two points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field with two assists and a block in 19 minutes. The Suns went on to win 134-105.
Contributing: Associated Press