A $35,000 fine is firmly embedded in his consciousness. Now Devin Booker knows how to make his point loud without getting consequences. The Phoenix Suns are staring down a 3-0 series deficit and a mounting sense of frustration following a 121–109 Game 3 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. And he was also personally victimized by another OKC player again after the expensive debacle of Game 2. Yet, instead of a rampage, Book chose a deadpan demeanor, short sentences, careful words, and dark fashion to get his point across.

Amid the fallout of a $35,000 fine for his criticism of official James Williams in Game 2, Book addressed the league’s decision to rescind the technical foul that sparked the controversy while penalizing his bank account. “I read it as you were right, but you can’t say anything about it,” Booker remarked after the Game 3 loss tonight.

Clearly the remorse the league expects after a fine was not coming. Instead, Book shined a light on the paradoxical nature of the NBA’s disciplinary action. The league’s investigation admitted the technical foul was improperly assessed and didn’t give him a suspension, yet upheld the fine for Booker’s public “integrity of the sport” rant.

The tensions from Game 2 spilt over on Game 3, not just behind the mic but on the hardwood too. Booker appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle after a controversial non-call involving Lu Dort. With nine minutes left in the third quarter, Dort appeared to stick his leg out, catching Booker’s foot and sending the Suns star hobbling to the locker room.

Addressing that trip after the fact, Book told the media, “I don’t know if it’s intentional or not. I seen he stuck his leg out a little bit. He threw his hand up to say that it was a foul and it just wasn’t granted,” Booker said of the play.

When asked about his ankle following the 12-point loss, Booker provided a terse update: “It’s fine.” While Booker managed to return and finish the game, the sequence resulted in a crucial turnover and a scoring swing that helped the Thunder pull away. This time though, Booker didn’t bother naming names.

Jordan Ott also called out officiating after Lu Dort tripped Devin Booker

Last time it was the Phoenix Suns owner, Mat Ishbia who went on a lengthy rant on X.com, backing Devin Booker. Today, while the guard kept his words measured, it was his head coach who upped the tirade.

Suns coach Jordan Ott expressed disbelief over the non-call on the Dort trip, noting that even the defender seemed to acknowledge the foul. “I thought I saw [Dort] raise his hand as a foul live… he puts his hand up, obviously indicating something occurred,” Ott told reporters. “For your best player to be out in these types of games, those are massive calls or swings.”

Despite the injury scare, Booker finished with 33 points on a 11-of-21 shooting and a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Yet the Suns were outmatched by OKC’s depth and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP-caliber precision.

While the Suns focused on the officiating, they had no answer for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who delivered one of the most efficient scoring performances in NBA postseason history. SGA erupted for 42 points on a staggering 15-of-18 shooting, becoming just the third player in history, joining Terry Porter and ironically, Devin Booker himself, to record 40+ points and 5+ assists while shooting over 80% from the field in a playoff game. His dominance at the Footprint Center has the defending champions one win away from a sweep.

The Suns now face a must-win Game 4 on Monday, with Booker’s health and the team’s relationship with the officiating crew under a microscope. However, Phoenix’s animosity with the referees continues to overshadow the their fight for survival in the postseason.