Blake Griffin whined his way to an ejection, and the Clippers got blown away without three of their four best players for most of the night.
Griffin was ejected Thursday night because he picked up two technical fouls in the second quarter of the Clippers' 118-104 defeat against the Suns. Griffin left the game with 11 points and four assists. The Suns took advantage of his absence by going on a 9-2 run to end the first half and carry an eight-point lead into the break.
MORE: Who hates the Clippers the most? | Curry drops yet another 40-plus
Griffin often carries on and beckons for fouls after the play, but the refs felt he went a bit overboard Thursday. Clippers coach Doc Rivers disagreed.
Doc Rivers after Blake Griffin ejected with second technical for complaining about non-call: "That's terrible. Nobody came to see you ref."
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) November 13, 2015 Griffin declined to speak with the media after the game.
Here's what else happened around the league on Thursday:
Watch out for the Warriors — yes, again.
The Warriors, picking up where they left off after last spring's championship run, improved to 10-0 for the first time in franchise history with a 129-116 road victory against the Timberwolves.
Reigning MVP Stephen Curry poured in 46 points — 21 in the first quarter — for his NBA-leading third 40-plus point scoring effort of the season. Curry needed little space to knock down 15 of 25 shots, routinely shimmying through tight spaces and hitting long-range jumpers.
Golden State forward Draymond Green came up two rebounds shy of his first triple-double of the season, finishing with 23 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds.
Minnesota fought valiantly after trailing by 13 points to end the first quarter. Andrew Wiggins scored a team-high 19 points to lead seven players in double figures.
The Jazz are lurking, even in a loss.
Despite falling 92-91 to the Heat on Thursday, Utah (4-4) verified something everyone was already kind of thinking — that they're going to be a good team very soon. Led by the fantastic trio of power forward Derrick Favors, 24, small forward Gordon Hayward, 25, and sixth man Alec Burks, 24, the Jazz have a core of young, versatile players that are starting to get comfortable in the NBA.
Favors led the way Thursday, scoring 25 points with 12 rebounds and seven blocks. Hayward and Burks scored 24 points apiece. It may not happen this year, but the Jazz will contend in the Western Conference soon with all these young assets starting to play well together.
Highlights
So, the Warriors are pretty good:
The Warriors score 75 points in the first half, the most points scored in a single half by any NBA team this season
— GSWStats (@gswstats) November 13, 2015 Wiggins glides in the lane and executes a slick spin move:
Becoming one of his most effective moves... Wiggins goes into the spin cycle! @Timberwolves #NBARapidReplay on TNT https://t.co/vfZi2fbLtg
— NBA (@NBA) November 13, 2015 Stud of the night
Suns guards Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe led the charge in the victory against the Clippers. Knight was especially impressive, scoring 37 points on 14 of 22 shooting. Bledsoe added 26 points on 9 of 13 shooting with 10 rebounds and nine assists. The win brought Phoenix (4-4) back to .500 on the season, and though the Clippers were playing shorthanded, Jeff Hornacek will be able to draw back on this game if the Suns remain in the playoff chase late in the season.
Friday's top NBA games
Cavaliers (7-1) at Knicks (4-5), 7:30 p.m. ET: Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis hit what appeared to be a game-winning shot Tuesday against the Hornets, but the play was reviewed and wiped off the board. New York can get its redemption against a Cavs team that's still battling the injury bug.
Hornets (4-4) at Bulls (5-3), 8 p.m. ET: The last time these two teams met, the Hornets dusted Chicago by 25 points. Charlotte is 3-1 since that game, while the Bulls have struggled to find any consistency this season.