The NBA has suspended Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green for Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round against the Sacramento Kings for stepping on center Domantas Sabonis, the league announced Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Green was ejected from Game 2 on Monday after receiving a Flag 2 foul for stepping on Sabonis in the fourth quarter. Sabonis first grabbed Green’s leg while he was on the ground and was given a technical foul. NBA commissioner Adam Silver was present at the Golden 1 Center.
- The league statement said the suspension was based in part on Green’s “history of unsportsmanlike acts.”
- Sabonis is questionable for Game 3 with a sternum bruise, the Kings announced Tuesday.
- Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday at 10 p.m. ET from Chase Center.
AthleticismInstant analysis of:
What this means for Green
Green will miss the most important 55 minutes of the Warriors season at this point. He was ejected for the final 7:15 of a close Game 2, leaving them without their best defensive player as De’Aaron Fox threw daggers.
Now he will miss all 48 minutes of a huge Game 3, leaving the Warriors even more vulnerable to a quick playoff extinction just before crucial decisions are made on the direction of the franchise, including Green’s future. . This is the second time he has been suspended for a playoff game. — Slate
How surprised are the Warriors?
“Extremely,” a team source said Tuesday night. They didn’t expect an extra layer of discipline. Sabonis was given a technique for the leg grab that sparked the incident, Green was sent off and forced to miss critical time in a big game and the Flagrant 2 already puts him two flagrant points away from an automatic suspension. ‘a match.
Combining all factors, the internal belief throughout Tuesday was that Green would face an additional fine, at most. But the league dropped the hammer Tuesday night, attaching Joe Dumars’ name to the press release, which has additional layers.
Dumars worked for the Kings in an official capacity before taking a league job and is also a known mentor to Green’s. — Slate
What this means for the Warriors
Kerr can go in several different directions with his choice of starting formation. If he wants Jordan Poole and the offense supercharged, he could call Poole’s number for a bigger role. If he wants to bolster the defense in Green’s absence, he could go to Gary Payton II and put him on Fox to open the game.
Donte DiVincenzo has been a regular starter this season. Kerr could go to him. Or it could look young. Jonathan Kuminga fits in as a substitute striker and always tends to play better when guaranteed at least 20 minutes.
Moses Moody is a dark horse. Kerr played it a ton in the second half of Game 2. — Slate
What this means for the Kings
It will be interesting to see how the Kings benefit from a Green-less Warriors team that has relied on its experience on stages like these for years. While Green is a loss, Golden State still has two probable first-round Hall of Famers in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson who are able to fire their shots without him as well as an athletic wing in Jonathan Kuminga on their bench.
Sacramento’s offensive game plan may even have some tweaks. Without Green’s defensive prowess, Kings coach Mike Brown could find new strengths in his offense to attack his old team. Both teams have at least a full day to prepare for Green’s loss on Wednesday. —Patterson
Pass
As umpires reviewed the play to determine the degree of foul on Monday, Green walked back to the Warriors bench waving his hands as if to encourage the crowd to continue their parade of boos. Green had eight points on 3-of-6 shooting in 31 minutes before the ejection.
Golden State then lost 114-106 and currently finds itself down 0-2 in a playoff series for the first time since 2007.
(Photo: Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)