Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
On Monday night, the Golden State Warriors walked into Game 2 against the Sacramento Kings with one mission in mind – tie the series. Unfortunately, they were unable to do that, once again losing to the Kings and falling into a 2-0 hole in the series.
The biggest moment of the game came when Domantas Sabonis fell to the floor, grabbed Draymond Green’s foot, and Green proceeded to stomp on Sabonis’ chest. Green was ejected, and Sabonis received a Flagrant 1 foul.
After the contest, head coach Steve Kerr spoke about the incident from his perspective.
“I didn’t see the play live, and then I didn’t see the replay,” Kerr said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “I asked [referee] Zach Zarba what happened, and he told me. I was busy with getting the team ready. One of the coaches told me that he might get ejected, and so, I was trying to prepare for what was next.”
Immediately after the incident, Sabonis remained on the floor in pain while Green headed back to the Warriors’ bench. Once there, he began egging on the Kings crowd, yelling at them and flailing his arms.
Post-game, Green defended his actions, blaming Sabonis for initiating things by grabbing his foot.
“I got my foot grabbed. Second time in two nights and referees just watching,” Green said via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I got to land my foot somewhere. I’m not the most flexible person. You can only step so far with him pulling my leg away.”
Domantas Sabonis on Draymond Green Incident
Meanwhile, Sabonis had some words about the altercation after the game, too. He said that he doesn’t have any animosity toward Green for his actions.
“Oh, no,” Sabonis said via House of Highlights when asked if he is upset with Green. “We’re both fighting for the rebound. We fell on each other. Stuff happens. It’s basketball. We got to move on to the next play.”
In addition, he said that the incident was simply a result of the intensity of the game.
“That’s playoff basketball,” Sabonis said. “Look at the fans. This is it. We’re here to fight. So, every time we step on the floor, we’re going to give everything for our teammates and the franchise.”
Stephen Curry Discusses Warriors Rotation
Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, and Jonathan Kuminga all received DNPs in the fourth quarter, and after the game, Stephen Curry spoke about the weirdness of Golden State’s rotations and how their mentality needs to shift moving forward.
“I mean, the way that we’ve played all year, there have been different rotations,” Curry said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Getting out there and trying different things. It’s part of how we’re built because we have so many options based on looks, based on what the other team’s doing. And our biggest challenge is for everybody to stay locked in mentally on what you’re asked to do when you’re out there and not get deflated if it’s not your night or not your turn. I know that’s really hard to do. Everybody wants to be out there. Everybody wants to play. But things changed really quickly in a series, and if you miss that moment because you give in to the frustrations or whatever that is, that’s the hard part. That’s the challenge. So, those guys have been productive all year. They have helped us win some big games. I expect whoever’s out there to contribute, especially when we go home, to find some momentum and some life and give ourselves a chance in the series.”
