Something must have been in the water in Phoenix on Wednesday night.
Blood was boiling before the Suns and Pistons tipped off at Phoenix's Footprint Center. Detroit's Isaiah Stewart and Phoenix's Drew Eubanks reportedly got into an altercation ahead of the contest, resulting in Stewart throwing a "sucker punch" at Eubanks' face.
The tension continued on the court, and not just between the two teams. Suns star Devin Booker was not on the officials' good side, as the Phoenix All-Star was ejected less than six minutes into the first quarter of the Suns' 116-100 win.
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Why was Devin Booker ejected?
Booker played just 5:24 in Wednesday's game before the officials ended his night.
The All-Star guard received two technical fouls in the first few minutes of the game, resulting in an automatic ejection. The second technical came after he appeared to gesture toward one of the referees as he walked toward the bench with 6:36 remaining in the quarter.
Devin Booker received his 2nd technical foul and was ejected for this
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 15, 2024
(h/t @ridiculouscage)
pic.twitter.com/LilcoBFe2o
Phoenix head coach Frank Vogel disputed the call with the officials, which resulted in him picking up a tech himself.
It's safe to say the crowd at Footprint Center did not agree with the officials' assessment of the situation, as fans belted out a rain of jeers as Booker exited.
Devin Booker just got ejected for a second technical and Frank Vogel just picked up a tech. #DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/Mk0VBcazMR
— Johnny Kane (@JohnnyKaneBSD) February 15, 2024
Booker gets tossed and the crowd erupts in the customary “ref you suck chant. pic.twitter.com/HSYmfcyaaS
— Espo (@Espo) February 15, 2024
Booker, who was selected as a reserve for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, had 7 points during his brief time on the court, going 2-for-5 from the field and 1-for-2 from deep. The 27-year-old guard also had a single assist, steal and rebound.
Vogel called Booker's ejection "freaking ridiculous" after the game.
"Total BS to take a star player out of the game," he said. "I’ve seen worse than what he did on a nightly basis."
The dismissal came on a night that Booker was excited to play. Pistons head coach Monty Williams led Booker and the Suns from 2019 to 2023, and he helped the team to a 2021 NBA Finals appearance against the Bucks.
"I'd be here all day ... Mont was a huge part of that in setting the culture, setting the foundation and turning Phoenix basketball back into winning basketball," Booker said before the game.
With Monty Williams returning to Phoenix tonight, Devin Booker spoke on his impact on his career and the Suns: "I'd be here all day....Mont was a huge part of that in setting the culture, setting the foundation, and then turning Phoenix basketball back into winning basketball.” pic.twitter.com/8SL8HALStZ
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) February 14, 2024
Booker has had his fair share of spats with opponents and officials. With that said, Wednesday night's actions were far from the guard's worst infractions.
