San Francisco — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected for the first time this season, and the 31st time in his career, after receiving two technical fouls in the same sequence during Monday night’s 116-113 win over the Phoenix Suns.
The Sequence That Led to the Ejection
With 10 minutes left in the third quarter, Green was knocked to the court while defending Suns center Khaman Maluach under the hoop. Green immediately bounced up, grabbed Maluach and was called for a personal foul. He then tossed Maluach to the court after the whistle, an act officials called a “throwdown” that earned him the first technical.
Phoenix forward Dillon Brooks then ran from the top of the key to confront Green over the hard foul. The longtime rivals grabbed each other’s jerseys and locked into a brief staredown before they were separated.
“I was just trying to de-escalate it,” Brooks said. “He was just tweaking all game.”
After a review, officials called a double technical on Green and Brooks, which triggered an automatic ejection for Green.
Reaction and Context
Warriors coach Steve Kerr downplayed the incident. “That’s just the greatest NBA basketball players on earth competing,” Kerr said. “Nothing serious happened.”
Green did not speak to reporters after the game. He has three technical fouls in six games this season. The ejection was the 23rd regular-season ejection of his 15-year career, and he has also been ejected eight times in the playoffs.
Stephen Curry said Green’s actions motivated the team. “He lit a fire in all of us,” Curry said. “We had to respond. I’m glad we did.”
Warriors Rally After the Ejection
Golden State was sleepwalking on the second night of a back-to-back against a rested Suns team and trailed 67-57 when Green was disqualified. After the ejection, the Warriors outscored Phoenix by 13 points to win their fifth consecutive game.
Backup center Charles Bassey replaced Green and had the best game of his career. He finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes, setting the stage for Curry to close out the Suns.
Curry scored 34 points in 33 minutes, including five 3-pointers and 11 free throws. He is 51-of-52 from the free-throw line this season and is averaging 30 points per game, third in the NBA, through six games.