Three Key Takeaways From Suns' Heated Victory Over Warriors

In what could be a preview of a playoff series, the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors went toe-to-toe with the former coming away with a 131-105 statement victory.

Here are some observations from that heated matchup.

Suns Bench Not Lacking In Talent After All

Entering the 2022-23 NBA season, questions about the Suns' bench depth have been a major talking point among fans, but this game showed that they may be in a better place than expected.

Australian big man Jock Landale is proving to be a worthy backup to Deandre Ayton thanks to his effort and Damion Lee is looking like an important piece to the championship puzzle.

Among them, Landale has been the most impressive thus far as the unheralded center is filling in nicely for the loss of JaVale McGee in the offseason

His impact thus far in four games plus a 17-point, seven-rebound, two-block performance against the Warriors has quieted the doubters.

There will be a time for the Suns to get some pieces during the buyout market ahead of the All-Star break, but as it stands, this team is capable of hanging tough with the best of them.

No Need To Overthink Klay Thompson's First Ejection

Warriors star Klay Thompson received his first-ever ejection in the third quarter as he repeatedly jawed at the Suns' bench, though there is no need for Warriors fans to worry about it.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr noted that Thompson and Suns star Devin Booker have always been exchanging words ever since the former Kentucky shooting guard came into the league and it's just part of the deal of being in the NBA.

"He and Book got into it over the years. They're both great players... They're both competitive. This is the NBA, it's the toughest competition in the world," Kerr said in the postgame scrum.

Thompson was limited to just two points on 1-of-8 field goal shooting in 18 minutes of action, but it is more of a testament to how well the Suns were defending tonight.

Despite the four-time NBA champion looking like he has lost a step since tearing his ACL and Achilles tendon in 2019, the Warriors are still the defending NBA champions and they can never be counted out.

Deandre Ayton Does Not Need To 'Dunk More'

A criticism that Suns fans have had against Ayton has been his seeming hesitation to dunk the ball and many were expecting him to be more physical entering the season after the Suns matched a four-year, $133 million offer sheet for him.

Ayton's biggest strength, aside from his height, is his footwork. It is a quality that Ayton has heavily relied on throughout his career thus far since it allows him to get in a better position off the ball and gets him into easy scoring positions once he catches the ball in the post.

His skills are more of a finesse big man closer to Hakeem Olajuwon, Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns rather than a traditional power center who dunks on people like Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard which is completely fine.

He can still get his numbers, a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds, against the Warriors all while relying on his footwork and jump hook that has become a big weapon for him, which will be crucial once the playoffs come.