Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was handed a $35,000 fine by the NBA on Thursday for his comments following a tough 120-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. The fine came one day after Booker publicly criticized the performance of the referees, calling their officiating "terrible."

However, the NBA also took action in Booker’s favor, rescinding the technical foul assessed to him late in the third quarter of the game. The league acknowledged that the foul was “improperly assessed,” providing a small degree of vindication for the star player.

Following the loss, which saw the Suns fall 2-0 behind in their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series, Booker spoke out about the officiating. “It’s definitely something that has to be looked at,” he said in his postgame comments. “I heard (Oklahoma City's Alex) 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 (Williams) was terrible tonight.”

Booker, who has been a key player for the Suns throughout the season, continued, “Whatever I get fined for, everybody can pull the clips and see where the frustration comes from.”

In response, NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations, James Jones, imposed the $35,000 fine. The league’s statement noted, “Following an investigation, including multiple interviews and video review, the league found no basis to any claim of bias or misconduct by game officials.” Despite the fine, the league confirmed the technical foul was overturned.

Booker’s performance on Wednesday wasn’t without merit, as he finished with 22 points and seven rebounds. This came after a 23-point, six-rebound performance in Game 1. During the regular season, Booker averaged 26.1 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds across 64 starts.

A five-time All-Star in his 11 NBA seasons, all spent with the Suns, Booker has proven to be one of the league's most consistent players. He holds career averages of 24.6 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in 737 games.

The Suns will need to bounce back in Game 3 as they head into a critical matchup at home to prevent further damage in the series.

—Field Level Media/Reuters