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There was no love lost between Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green on Valentine’s Day.
The Suns’ big man trolled his nemesis after the Warriors collapsed in the fourth quarter leading to a 130-125 loss to the Kawhi Leonard-less Los Angeles Clippers on February 14 at Chase Center.
Nurkic posted a “You’re getting soft” meme on X, formerly Twitter, quoting a tweet from Jomboy Media showing Green dropping to the floor after a failed drive against Clippers center Ivica Zubac.
Things got heated in the fourth quarter when Clippers backup center Mason Plumlee committed a flagrant foul on Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski. Jonathan Kuminga shoved Plumlee as Green quickly pulled back the Warriors’ young forward from escalating the altercation.
Plumlee’s frustration foul stemmed from an earlier play when Green fouled him hard which earned Clippers coach Ty Lue his first technical foul.
Lue was later ejected for incurring a second technical foul following Plumlee’s flagrant foul on Podziemski.
While the game officials were reviewing the play, Green mocked the Clippers with a four-finger antic, signifying their four championships.
The altercation and Green’s mockery of the Clippers came back to bite them as the momentum quickly shifted.
Los Angeles went on a 17-2 run to grab a 111-108 lead after trailing 106-94 after Lue’s ejection.
“We lost control of the game defensively and I don’t think we adjusted well enough as a coaching staff,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the loss.
Klay Thompson’s Mental Lapse
The Warriors still had a chance to send the game into overtime but Klay Thompson committed an ill-advised foul with 39 seconds left and the Clippers clinging to a 3-point lead.
“It’s obvious [we didn’t have to foul,” Kerr later told reporters after the jarring loss. “Defend and just play it out and get a rebound and then it’s a one-possession game.”
In the midst of Kerr and the rest of the Warriors’ disbelief, Thompson ignored Steph Curry, who was tried to console him.
But the veteran Thompson made the uncharacteristic mistake. The mental lapse capped Thompson’s bad shooting night. He missed 10 of 14 shots, finishing with 12 points and was a minus-7 in 30 minutes.
Draymond Green Slams Jusuf Nurkic, Kevin Durant
The mercurial Green dedicated more than eight minutes of air time to his podcast slamming Jusuf Nurkic and even taking a dig at his former teammate and friend, Kevin Durant, following their emotional 113-112 win against the Phoenix Suns on February 10.
“Questioning my character I thought was whack but like guys are making a habit out of that. Him (Jusuf Nurkic) and Kevin (Durant) questioned my character before,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show” uploaded on February 13. “As if you’re going to question somebody’s character about a basketball game like this isn’t real life. As if that doesn’t affect somebody’s pockets.”
Green took offense at Nurkic assassinating his character anew in the media after the game and Durant’s past comment about him hoping he “gets the help he needs.”
“Like, I think all of it was really cowardly. … You gonna question somebody’s character, you got my phone number. If you hope I get the help I need, hit me and say that. So, like I said, I thought it was all cowardly. That’s where those emotions came from,” Green added, explaining his celebration in front of Durant’s face after the win.
Nurkic responded to Green’s podcast outburst on X.
The Warriors and the Suns will no longer meet in the regular season but there is a chance they could face each other in the postseason.
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