Draymond Green hit the showers early on Monday as the Golden State Warriors fell behind 0-2 in their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings.
In the fourth quarter, Green got into an entanglement with Kings forward Domantas Sabonis, who appeared to grab his foot while laying on the ground. Green pulled it away and stomped on Sabonis, who stayed on the court for an extended period of time after the contact.
The stomp that got Draymond ejected
Green was hit with a flagrant 2 and ejected while Sabonis was assessed a technical. He attempted to explain the situation after the game.
“I got my foot grabbed. Second time in two nights and referees just watching,” Green told reporters. “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.”
Draymond Green: “My leg got grabbed. Second time in two nights.” Said he needed to put his foot somewhere but officials told him he “stomped too hard.”
Full soundbite
As officials reviewed the play, Green riled up the crowd at Golden 1 Center, which likely didn’t help his cause. When he asked for an explanation, Green said he was told he “stomped too hard.”
Green said foot-grabbing has been a repeat issue with the Kings this series. He called out Malik Monk for doing the same thing in Game 1.
“I guess ankle grabbing is OK,” Green said.
Warriors Down 0-2 in Series for First Time Since 2007
The Warriors are now down 0-2 to the Kings after Monday’s loss. It is the first time since 2007 that Golden State is facing a 0-2 series deficit. Green is embracing the challenge.
“This is one we haven’t seen yet, and we’ve conquered all the rest of them, so why not go conquer this one. It would be a lot of fun,” Green said.
The NBA will be reviewing the incident with Green and it’ll be interesting to see what the league decides when it comes to a suspension. There’s a chance Green might not be able to help his team try to crawl out of the 0-2 hole.
“Flagrant 2 for sure,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “It’ll be interesting to see what the NBA does when they review it.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he didn’t see the incident involving Green live or on replay.
“I was busy with getting the team ready,” Kerr said. “One of the coaches told me he might get ejected so I was trying to prepare the team for what was next.”
Warriors Struggle Shooting Against Kings in Game 2
GettySteph Curry of the Golden State Warriors complains about a play during Game 2 against the Sacramento Kings.
The Warriors were one of the worst road teams in the NBA this season and weren’t able to find their mojo in Sacramento. Golden State shot 47.6% from the floor as a team and 32.5% from deep.
Stephen Curry finished with a game-high 28 points but was especially off by his standards. He was just 9 of 21 from the floor and hit only 3-of-13 of his shots from beyond the arc. Curry was the only Warriors player to finish with a positive plus-minus rating.
The series now shifts back to Chase Center on Thursday, where the Warriors were 33-8 this season.
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Warriors Star Draymond Green Sounds Off on Ejection Against Kings