Devin Booker scored a game-high 34 points, Klay Thompson was ejected for the first time in his career and the host Phoenix Suns pulled away during a volatile third quarter to thump the Golden State Warriors 134-105 on Tuesday.
Mikal Bridges (17 points), Jock Landale (17), Deandre Ayton (16) and Chris Pal (16) also scored in double figures in a balanced attack that produced the Suns’ third win in four games this season.
Stephen Curry, who had 33 or more points in each of his first three games, paced Golden State with 21.
As the Suns were taking advantage of a foul disparity to cling to an 83-77 lead midway through the third quarter, Thompson and Booker were assessed technical fouls for a verbal altercation.
As players and coaches came together near midcourt during a timeout, Thompson was slapped with a second “T” for continuing to jaw at the Phoenix team, earning him his first ejection in 796 NBA regular-season and postseason games.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr also received a technical foul in the third quarter, as did Draymond Green, Ayton and Paul.
The Suns went on to end the third period on a 22-9 run, then coasted home.
Phoenix wound up shooting 34 free throws, making 28, while the Warriors went 13-for-17.
Booker, who set a Suns record with 96 points in his first three games, shot 11-for-14 at the line for nearly one-third of his point total.
He buried three 3-pointers and Paul went 4-for-5 from long range, helping the Suns shoot 41.1 percent from beyond the arc and outscore the Warriors 36-30 from deep.
Paul also found time for a game-high nine assists, while Ayton completed the game’s only double-double with a game-high 14 rebounds.
Curry shot 4-for-9 from 3-point range and also led Golden State with eight assists. He had seven rebounds, one fewer than team leader Green.
Thompson made just one of his eight shots, none of his five 3-point attempts, and finished with two points in 19 minutes.
Jordan Poole had 17 points for the Warriors, while Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 16, Green 14, Moses Moody 13 and James Wiseman 12 in the club’s first road game of the season.
The Suns led by as many as 10 in a high-scoring first half that featured nine 3-pointers by each team. Paul made the last one, a buzzer-beater that put Phoenix up 72-66 at the break.
Booker, who made both his first-half 3-point attempts, led all scorers with 16 points before intermission.
–Field Level Media