Warriors forward/center Draymond Green was ejected less than four minutes into Wednesday’s matchup with the Magic in Orlando after an argument with official Ray Acosta, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
NBC Sports Bay Area has a video (Twitter link) of the incident. Green wasn’t even directly involved in the play — he was arguing a foul that was called on Andrew Wiggins against Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, who converted an and-one layup with 8:24 remaining in the first period.
Several members of the Warriors — including Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Brandin Podziemski — went over to Green as he continued to complain to Acosta. As Green was heading back to the bench, he had some choice words for the official, and he received his second technical foul, resulting in an automatic ejection.
Curry was visibly emotional after Green was ejected, per NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter video link).
Green’s latest incident comes at a critical time in the season for the Warriors, who hold a one-game lead on the red-hot Rockets for the final spot in the Western Conference’s play-in tournament. Both teams have 11 games remaining on their regular season schedules.
The Warriors were already playing without third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga on Wednesday — the second of a back-to-back — against a Magic team that has gone 18-6 over its past 24 games. According to Slater, head coach Steve Kerr said Kuminga is dealing with knee tendinitis, describing it as a minor issue (Twitter link). Kerr expects Kuminga to be active Friday in Charlotte.
It’s also a noteworthy development because it’s Green’s first ejection since his indefinite suspension back in December for striking Jusuf Nurkic in the face. That wound up being a 12-game ban, and Green missed another four while working himself back into shape. He was also suspended five games earlier in the season for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock.
Green has now received 10 technical fouls in 2023/24, according to Spotrac, with six (including the two today) coming after his last suspension. For today’s ejection, he’ll be fined a total of $6,000 — $3,000 for each technical.
NBA players receive an automatic one-game suspension when they reach 16 technical fouls, so Green has a little wiggle room below that threshold. Still, the fact that he lost his cool again in a crucial game obviously isn’t ideal for Golden State.
On a more positive note, rookie big man Trayce Jackson-Davis returned from a one-game absence due to knee soreness and immediately went into the starting lineup in the frontcourt alongside Green, notes ESPN’s Kendra Andrews (via Twitter). Klay Thompson also made his second straight start after a big game on Tuesday in Miami.
For what it’s worth, the Warriors led the Magic at halftime, 45-37.
Noooo not AGaiN …….
Acosta sucks, but Draymond was supposed to have agreed not to argue with the refs.
Smh
Nothing about Patty Mills though.
Yes exactly. Green was very fortunate on the play that it “seemed to be” a tie up of both bodies. Green grabbing the neck area of Patty Mills as he went down could have been very very bad if not for the mutual tie up.
If the warriors miss the play in this season it is directly because this clown can’t control his emotions.
Ugly game, but a rare win for GSW on a B2B as Steph hit the dagger three
Rare? They have more wins than they have losses. Not sure about rare.
How many games have they won both games of a back to back situation this season? Other than this, just 4 sets, with 3 being home/home.
You could tell the reaction from Curry he is tired of Green playing these stupid games. After hitting the 3pt dagger in the game Curry went over to the sideline and kicked a set of chairs. Nobody on the team looked happy about green’s stupid move again.
Shocked, shocked… Well actually not that shocked…
Draymond has shown he learned nothing…
Almost can’t even hate it anymore. Draymond is what he is and he ain’t gonna change. I tip my hat. It’s his attitude that has won a lot of big games and cost his team big games. Reminds me of Manny being Manny for the Red Sox. Love him or hate him he’s gonna be him.
At least Manny wasn’t getting himself tossed left and right causing his teams to potentially miss the playoffs. He made some boneheaded plays, but the majority were good and his teams were undeniably better with him in the lineup.
Buy a punching bag, put it up in your home, and just beat the snot out of it before and after each game Dray. Seriously dude, just keep your stuff together in between the lines. You’re killing your team, both by you not being on the court, and by the reactions you’re seeing on your teammates faces every time you do something dumb again.
He should be cut by the Warriors or banned indefinitely by the league – maybe half a season and not 14 games like last time. He was well behaved for about a week. Learned nothing – just a hothead!
How he wasn’t banned for life after crushing Jordan Poole is beyond me.
Bargzzz, you’ve never played Sports have you ? Banned for life, LOL.
The fact that the Warriors completely failed Jordan Poole and protected Draymond when he absolutely deserved a team suspension at minimum is really scummy, though. I can see where he’s coming from. Draymond was in the wrong, flatly. Typical trash talk (“You’re an expensive backpack for [Steph].”) isn’t worth a punch to the face.
I hear you Eon and you always make great points. I played college basketball. I swung and I was the target of swings during my career. That’s all I’m saying.
Excusing Draymond ? Of course not. But stuff happens. Sometimes for good reason and sometimes for no good reason.
I guess I’m saying that I don’t think I’m the only one that saw or was part of altercations at practice.
Here goes Green again piling up more technicals leading up to the playoffs. As soon as the stress starts building, Draymond starts losing it and adding techs, which turn into suspensions during the higher rounds of the playoffs right when they need him. Since they can’t really trust him being there during prime time to help, seems to me it might be time to make big changes after this season.
So couple weeks of therapy didn’t help Draymond? Shocker. Trying to fit a long term process in a short term time frame was a stupid idea to begin with.
Rest of season ban
Needs to spend entire off season in therapy twice a week for reinstatement for 24-25 and just attend weekly therapy sessions remotely during season. Miss a session = suspension.
Absurd.
Refs are soft cheaters
At least he didn’t punch anyone
This is all trading for Chris Paul’s fault. Never should of traded for that hack of a pretend legend
I can’t find any mention of where the first technical foul came from?
He argued the foul call by Wiggins on Banchero. It’s then that he received his first technical foul.
The second came when he was walking away getting subbed out of the game. “A few Choice words for the ref” and that resulted in the second technical and getting tossed.
So he got two techs for one argument? That’s kind of insane.
The crazy thing is he doesn’t know to shut up when he receives the first one. That’s insane.
Not really. The argument got him the first tech. You can’t argue calls. The second was for whatever he said to the ref, which is always a tech also. He really needed to just suck it up. Arguing with a brick wall would be more effective.
People argue calls all the time though, and they don’t all receive techs. Watch James Harden, Lebron James, or Jayson Tatum and they are arguing literally every play.
I am no Draymond fan and he has done some indefensible things, but that doesn’t mean he needs to get a technical foul every time he speaks.
You can argue but you can’t say certain words. That’s the difference.
I can scream and yell at the top of my lungs and say, “that ball did not go out of bounds” or “I did not hit him on the arm” or “it was him who bumped into me first,” etc etc.
I can say that stuff all day long and not get a technical.
But if I tell the ref he’s a freaking moron and blind and shouldn’t be a ref in this league because he’s an idiot.., that will get me a technical foul.
If I F-bomb and go up and down his back with derogatory character assassinations, I’ll get T’d up.
You can make gestures of disbelief or yell, like “where’s the call?!” or “wait, I didn’t touch him!”, but a full-blown *argument* with the ref will usually result in at least someone getting a tech. Draymond’s argument lasted long enough for his teammates to get over there, push him away, and make their own displeasure known. Too long.
Also, it’s Draymond. He’s *always* going to be judged more harshly, and it’s his own fault.
Eon, you’re right. But what’s funny is lately it’s been almost anything that triggers a T lol. Tatum slapping the basket support or Luka yelling at a teammate so he says. Getting crazy lately.
Ts are always the weirdest and least sensical part of the game. It’s a given that there are going to be whacky Ts all over town at points in the season. Been that way since the late 90s.
Lebron is the only player I have ever seen that is injured and sitting on the bench but is allowed to walk on the court and argue with a Ref. He should have been given a T the other night arguing with a Refs a few times. Yes there is a double standard in the NBA. Green just doesn’t understand he can’t get away with anything now. He needs to shut up about bad calls. Since him and Lebron have a love for each other warriors should trade him to LA in the offseason.
And I thought Marvin Barnes was crazy for talking about himself in the third person. Maybe Green ought to adopt that to at least make himself amusing.
They still won?
At this point, the NBA should oblige Green to wear a shock collar during games. The device would be operated remotely by a licensed behavioral psychologist on site. Let the guy break-dance for 30 seconds in order to cool off.
“DirtyDre” ……. the End is near.
He’s gotten away with plenty in his career. It’s why he always pushes the lines. Just can’t help himself. As you get older. You don’t get away with as much. So he cries more. Shouldn’t go out this way. He should take more pride in his gm. Not his verbal abuse.
It’s amazing how difficult a time he is having keeping his emotions in check.
Suspensions don’t work, fines don’t work, obliterated in the press and by the fans doesn’t work.
He’s going to live to regret much of his NBA career unfortunately.
Instead of holding his head high he will have this garbage held against him forever. And rightly so.
Retirement he said … Please do and wait for the HOF call