The Golden State Warriors eventually matched the Phoenix Suns' competitive fire on Tuesday night. In their first road game of the season against another Western Conference power, though, the defending champions' emotions boiled over, with a mix of continued defensive struggles, a tough whistle from the officials and the Suns' brash confidence sparking an ugly 134-105 loss.

The Warriors were locked in a hard-fought battle between title contenders in the third quarter, seemingly feeding off the palpably charged atmosphere inside a raucous Footprint Center. But they lost the rope when persistent jawing between Klay Thompson and Devin Booker culminated in a chest-to-chest confrontation on a dead ball, with both drawing technical fouls.

Thompson's night was over moments later after he was issued a second technical, for either arguing with officials or escalating his feud with Booker by stomping back toward the Phoenix bench. As he made his way off the floor and into the locker room early, a gloating Thompson responded to a chorus of boos by pointing at his hand, referencing the four titles he has won with Golden State:

Thompson let Booker know about his rings before they were teed up, too:

After the game, though, Kerr made clear he didn't believe the friction between Thompson and Booker on Tuesday stemmed from competitive animus alone:

Related NewsArticle continues below
Warriors now favored for Giannis Antetokounmpo if Bucks trade him
Giannis Antetokounmpo fuels Warriors trade rumors with SF appearance
Former Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade talks to Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) after the game against the New York Knicks at Miami-Dade Arena.
Jimmy Butler’s agent blasts Dwyane Wade’s criticism of Warriors star

Thompson entered Tuesday's action continuing to ramp up toward his normal minutes load. He didn't participate in training camp 5-on-5 until the week before the season tipped off, and Golden State has been cautious with his playing time during the first week of play as a result.

One of the best shooters in league history wasn't exactly showing it when he began trading barbs with Booker, either. Thompson finished the game with two points and three personal fouls in 19 minutes, going 1-of-8 from the field and misfiring on all five of his tries from deep. He's now averaging 11.0 points in 22.2 minutes per game on the season at large, shooting 35.6% overall and 28.6% on triples.

Thompson, obviously, will be better going forward. The solid level of two-way impact he provided during the Warriors' championship run last season is the baseline for his expected performance in 2022-23, not the ceiling.

Don't be surprised if Thompson comes out hot against the Miami Heat the next time he takes the floor, setting nets ablaze. Either way, more important for Golden State will be how its surprisingly porous defense performs against another surefire playoff team.

We'll find out Thursday at Chase Center.