Warriors’ Chris Paul tossed by Scott Foster after 2 technicals

PHOENIX – Add another incident to the long-running conflict between Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul and referee Scott Foster as Paul was ejected from Wednesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns after Foster slapped him with two quick technical fouls.

It was Paul’s seventh career expulsion.

With 23 seconds left in the first half, Phoenix forward Kevin Durant drew contact from Paul, something the 6-foot-1 guard vehemently disagreed with. As Durant lined up to shoot his free throws, Paul continually chirped at Foster, the team leader for the night.

It didn’t take long before Foster gave Paul his first technical foul. And seconds later, he hit him with his second, ejecting him from the game. Paul finished the night with six points and six assists.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was also criticized for yelling at Foster after Paul was sent off.

This dynamic is nothing new for Foster and Paul. Paul’s teams (LA Clippers, Rockets, Thunder and Suns) lost 13 straight playoff games when Foster was the team leader. Paul’s overall playoff record is 2-17, dating back to 2008, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

In 2018, during a regular season game won by Paul’s Rockets, he called out Foster for evaluating him as a technician.

“He never fails,” Paul said. “Some of them you can [communicate] with. You just have to figure out who you can and you can’t. I have a technician this evening. I’m there with [referee Courtney Kirkland] saying, “It’s Scott, it’s Scott,” and I got a technician. There is history there. He’s the man. That’s what they pay to see.”

Paul was a major bright spot for Golden State in the first half of Wednesday’s game, which ended with a 23-5 run for the Suns. His six assists were more than the rest of the Warriors combined (5), and the team shot 50 percent when Paul created offense from a shot or pass. This compares to 35% when Paul was not involved.