Getty Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson drives past Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings.
The Golden State Warriors dropped Game 2 the Sacramento Kings, and Draymond Green dropped his foot straight onto Domantas Sabonis’ chest. Green wound up being ejected from the game, but made it known that he had his leg grabbed by the Kings star.
“I got my foot grabbed. Second time in two nights and referees just watching,” Green said via “The Athletic’s” Anthony Slater. “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.”
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Green’s teammate, Klay Thompson, called about Sabonis for grabbing the 33-year-old’s foot.
“What are you going to do when someone grabs your foot and you’re running full speed?” he asked via NBC Sports Bay Area. “Like that’s a dirty [play]. Just fully grabs your foot and yanks on you, that’s not cool man. I’m not saying what Draymond did was right but, you can’t just grab somebody’s foot when they’re taking off in a full sprint. That’s not cool. I don’t do that. That’s crazy.”
“What are you going to do when someone grabs your foot when you’re running full speed?”
Klay is not happy with the actions of Sabonis leading up to Draymond’s stomp
Sabonis’ pull on Green’s foot reportedly left the star forward pretty sore.
According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, Green requested to have an X-ray on his right ankle after the game.
“Warriors star Draymond Green asked for an X-ray on his right ankle after the Game 2 loss to the host Kings after feeling soreness, source confirmed to @andscape @espn,” Spears reported in a tweet. “Source adds Green believes the injury came when Kings star Domantas Sabonis grabbed his ankle before the stomp.”
Domantas Sabonis Unsure About Incident with Warriors’ Draymond Green
Like Green, Sabonis also spoke to the media following Sacramento’s 114-106 victory. The Lithuanian actually had multiple chats with the press, giving off a different impression in each.
Sabonis first response was much more laid back, saying that the playoffs had escalated things and that’s it.
“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. That’s playoff basketball. 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.”
During a later availability, he pivoted, saying that there’s no place in the game for a play like that.
“I fell and I was trying to protect myself and then obviously the incident happened. I feel like there’s no room for that in our game today,” he claimed via NBC Sports Kings.
“There’s no room for that in our game today.”
Domas shares his perspective of the incident with Draymond
Steve Kerr Didn’t See Draymond Green Incident in Warriors’ Loss
Green’s head coach Steve Kerr didn’t notice the scuffle when it first happened. He told reporters he wasn’t able to catch the replay because he was preparing for Green’s ejection.
“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.”