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In a chaotic ending to their matchup, the Golden State Warriors suffered a very tragic loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night. In this 102-100 defeat, multiple things went wrong in the last moments of the game that could have ultimately changed the outcome. One that stands out was Draymond Green’s ejection during the final seconds of the matchup. After the game, Green took responsibility for his actions.
Green Takes the Blame
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In the final moments of this Warriors-Hornets matchup, Green absolutely lost his temper which resulted in back-to-back technical fouls for the power forward. With these two technicals, the Hornets were rewarded with two free throws. These two shots in addition to an insane buzzer-beater from Hornets guard Teddy Rozier led Charlotte to a late victory, which might be considered as Golden State’s most devastating loss so far this season.
Green, who had to wait in the locker room for the final 9.3 seconds of the game, took responsibility for his extreme behavior, per Nick Friedell’s Twitter.
According to Eric Paschall Green issued a message to his teammates when they returned to the locker room saying that: “He said it was his fault. He took ownership, as he always does as a leader. We’re still rocking with Dray no matter what.”
It’s obvious that Green is aware that his actions were the turning point of the game which is why he took responsibility. Throughout his entire career, Green has always been vocal about his emotions and passion for the game. However, some believe that this time might have been too much in such a crucial moment in the game.
In Case You Missed It
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Draymond Green and the Warriors took over in the fourth quarter, leading by as much as 10 points with a little under five minutes left in the game. The Warriors had the capability of closing out the Hornets but were not able to hold it together as time expired.
With 20 seconds left, Andrew Wiggins missed a game-sealing shot, however, the Warriors obtained the extra possession. As the clock winded down, Warriors’ Brad Wanamaker got tied up with LaMelo Ball which forced a jump ball with 9.3 seconds left as the Warriors were ahead 100-98.
Gordon Hayward was able to come out with the jump ball before Green attempted to force another jump ball. However, instead of giving the Warriors a jump ball, the officials gave the Hornets a timeout. This enraged Green, which earned him two quick technical fouls that led to his ejection.
As a result of this, the Hornets had two free throws and possession of the ball. Rozier made both free throws before tragically ending the game with a buzzer-beater dagger.
In a game where the Warriors could have closed out even without their All-Star Steph Curry, the Warriors were given one of their most devastating losses of the season, which Draymond Green takes full responsibility for.
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