The Warriors suffered a major setback on Tuesday night, falling to the Suns 134–105. Among the most notable moments from that blowout loss was the first career NBA ejection for Klay Thompson, which stemmed from a brush-up with Phoenix star Devin Booker.
Thompson picked up a pair of quick technical fouls, the first for the start of the argument and the second as he continued to jaw with Booker, eventually turning his ire to referee Ed Malloy, who hit him with his second technical and the ejection. Thompson continued to chirp the Suns' bench on his way out.
Coach Steve Kerr said after the game that he believes the outburst had a lot to do with Thompson’s frustrations with his minutes restriction, stemming from his ongoing recovery from the significant injuries that cost him two full seasons from 2019 to ’21. Thompson has struggled to begin the 2022–23 season, averaging a career-low 11 points and shooting 28.6% from three-point range. In 19 minutes on Tuesday, Thompson had just two points on 1-of-8 shooting and was 0-for-5 from three.
