The Phoenix Suns were able to blow out the Detroit Pistons 116-100 tonight despite an early ejection to Devin Booker with 6:36 left in the first quarter.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Many were confused as to what exactly transpired with Booker. The referees started the game out with a tight whistle following a pregame incident in which Isaiah Stewart punched Drew Eubanks.
Booker picked up two straight technical fouls and was thrown out of the game.
Devin Booker just got ejected less than six minutes into the game after picking up two straight technical fouls. A loud “Refs you suck” chant has broken out at Footprint Center #DETvsPHX pic.twitter.com/lfK3ZqEcj8
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) February 15, 2024
Devin Booker received his 2nd technical foul and was ejected for this
(h/t @ridiculouscage)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 15, 2024
After the game, crew chief Karl Lane explained exactly what happened in a pool report.
The first technical foul Lane said was assessed because of continual complaining from Booker even after being warned.
The second one was for “disparaging remarks he made towards a game official.”
“The comment that he made met our standards and warranted the technical foul, the second technical foul which led to the ejection,” Lane said.
Lane added that no decisions during the game were made because of the events that transpired pregame. The first quarter featured a combined 16 personal fouls between the teams. For the night, a total of 52 personal fouls were called, but no more technical fouls were assessed after this.
In tonight’s pool report, crew chief Karl Lane said #Suns Devin Booker’s second technical foul was the result of “disparaging remarks he made towards a game official”
“The comment that he made met our standards and warranted the technical foul …” pic.twitter.com/kTsAyPEpcG
— Brendan Mau (@brendan_mau) February 15, 2024
Suns’ coach Frank Vogel picked up his own technical foul after he became frustrated with the officials following the Booker ejection.
“They just said they asked him to stop,” Vogel said of what the officials told him about why they ejected Booker. “Whether he was complaining or he wasn’t, he didn’t stop, so they T’d him up. And then he said something else to the other official, and he ran him out.
“Freakin’ ridiculous, total BS to take a star player out of the game. I’ve seen worse than what he did on a nightly basis. Like, not I’ve seen it before, I see it every night. Unprecedented. Those are good officials that were on the game tonight, but that was certainly uncalled for and BS.”
“Freakin’ ridiculous, total BS to kick a star player out of the game. i've seen worse than he did on a nightly basis" #Suns coach Frank Vogel on Devin Booker's ejection https://t.co/93YkXri2vS
— Brendan Mau (@brendan_mau) February 15, 2024
Vogel said he drew his tech by trying to convey this message to the officials: “What are you guys doing?”
The Suns still banded together and had 52 bench points in Booker’s absence and with Beal sidelined due to injury.
All of this contributed to a strange night overall, but the Suns capped it off with a blow-out win despite the circumstances heading into the All-Star break.
Devin Booker receives questionable ejection in first quarter vs. Pistons
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
