Devin Booker Risks Massive Fine Going OFF on Game 2 Official After Receiving Questionable Technical Foul

Devin Booker blasted the officiating after Game 2 loss vs. Thunder and called out referee James Williams.

Devin Booker Risks Massive Fine Going OFF on Game 2 Official After Receiving Questionable Technical Foul

Devin Booker (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Devin Booker received a controversial technical foul in Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, leading to his public criticism of referee James Williams.
  • Booker risks a significant fine for his comments, which he believes are necessary to address officiating issues in the NBA.
  • The Phoenix Suns have struggled in the playoffs, with Booker averaging only 22.5 points in the series, prompting calls for him to be more aggressive in upcoming games.

Things have not gone according to plan for Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns after their first two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. After a 35-point defeat in Game 1, the Suns suffered another disappointing 120-107 loss to the defending champions in Game 2 at the Paycom Center on Wednesday night.

Booker was given an odd technical foul in game two that left everyone from the Suns puzzled. Following the loss, Booker said he wasn’t given any explanation for the call.

I still haven’t gotten one. It’s definitely something that has to be looked into. I heard Caruso tell them to call the tech and he ended up doing it. In my 11 years, I haven’t called a ref out by name, but James was terrible tonight, through and through. It’s bad for the sport, bad for the integrity of the sport. People are going to start viewing this as the WWE if they’re not held responsible.

Devin Booker in his post-match press conference

It appears that Devin Booker has had enough of the NBA referees. His comments have put him at risk of a massive fine, but he didn’t want to waste the opportunity to call out referee James Williams. While he may have been asked to pay a hefty fine, it shouldn’t be much of a problem for him, especially after his bumper contract during the offseason.

This is not the first time that the referees have been called out after a game against the Thunder this season. Many within the NBA community believe that the Thunder get away with a lot of physicality on defense and get calls in their favor more often than not, while on offense.

The lack of consistency in foul calling has been a concern in the NBA for a while now. Booker has never spoken about officiating in public before, but it looks like even the five-time All-Star couldn’t hold himself back this time.

Jordan Ott reacts to Devin Booker’s technical foul

Criticizing an NBA referee in public is bound to get Devin Booker fined. It was an odd call for a technical foul. It took place in the third quarter when the Suns were trailing by 18 points. The game did see multiple controversial calls.

Suns head coach Jordan Ott echoed Booker’s statements and was puzzled by the technical foul call as well.

We don’t get an explanation. They [the refs] just move on so fast. I thought the ball was near the sidelines, he [Booker] tried to save it. This is a playoff series and a lot of stuff happens. We can do a better job in keeping our composure at times.

Jordan Ott in his post-match press conference

Unlike Booker, Ott did not go on a rant and call out the referees. He did concede that his team needs to have better composure during their games. It remains to be seen if and when the NBA fines Booker for his comments.

Devin Booker needs to step up at home

There is no doubt that Devin Booker is one of the best pure scorers in the league today. In the 2025-26 regular season, Booker was averaging 26.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and six assists in 64 appearances. But he has not been very aggressive so far in this series.

Since taking the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2021, Booker has never made it past the Western Conference Semifinals. He even missed out on the playoffs last year despite having Kevin Durant as a teammate.

Devin Booker
Devin Booker (Image credits – TheNightMVP/X)

The Suns have done a fine job this season. Many saw them as a lottery team in a highly competitive Western Conference this year, but they finished at seventh place in the standings and beat the Golden State Warriors in the Play-In Tournament to secure the eighth seed in the playoffs.

Booker is averaging just 22.5 points this series. He was efficient in game two, making 7 of his 14 field goal attempts. However, the 14 field goal attempts show that the Suns’ best scorer has not been aggressive enough in this series.

The Suns have everything to play for in games three and four, and they will need Booker to step up his game and be as aggressive as he can be. Game three will take place on Saturday in Phoenix.

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