On Tuesday night, the Suns steamrolled the reigning NBA Champions in a tense game at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.

   Shooting guard Devin Booker pulled 34 points for Phoenix, as well as seven assists and three steals. The Suns kept a lead throughout most of the game, and managed to out-score the Warriors in three of the four quarters. 

   The Warriors let the Suns take the game 134-105, but the road to the finish was rocky for both teams. The third quarter was stacked with technical fouls, and Warriors guard Klay Thompson piled up seven, which led to his ejection from the game, making it the first of his career. 

   Both Thompson and Booker had several word exchanges throughout the third quarter. At one point during an interaction, Thompson flashed up a number four with his hand at Booker to signify the four NBA championships the Warriors have secured in the last decade. According to the Mercury News, Klay was ejected from the game with 6:13 left in the third. 

   Booker cleared up the media’s questions after a game full of back and forth with Thompson. 

   According to ESPN, “I love Klay Thompson, I have for a really long time… I’ve always admired his game…and obviously the rings speak for themselves,” Booker said, “But I’m going to bring it every time.”

   Golden State coach Steve Kerr expressed his admiration for Thompson’s energy and ambition. 

   According to ESPN, “Obviously, he took it too far with the ejection, but I love the fire. Klay is an incredible competitor. We need his energy,” Kerr said. 

   Phoenix has now moved up to the no. 2 spot in the Western Conference rank. The Warriors have shifted down to no. 10 in the west, despite the fact that they held the top spot in the league in ESPN’s preseason power rankings.

   The Suns are now 3-1 for this season, with one of their big wins against the Dallas Mavericks, who had previously knocked them out of the postseason back in May during the Western Conference Semifinals.

   It is only week two in the NBA regular season, but this year has already uncovered some unexpected strengths and weaknesses in both teams and players. All teams still have time to band together and hit their stride, but each week brings new competitive matchups and NBA fans anticipate an exciting rest of the season.