Draymond Green has embarrassing sequence in his return
Draymond Green came back from his five-game suspension Tuesday. His emotions still got the best of him.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Sacramento Kings got multiple offensive rebounds in one possession, which ended with Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins finally grabbing the board. But Green hit the deck, laying on the ground and grabbing his face, though the replay clearly shows there was no contact from Trey Lyles.
Green got down the court late on the subsequent possession after coach Steve Kerr yelled at him to get up. Wiggins was fouled, but Green continued arguing with officials. After the officials called Steph Curry for a foul, Green repeatedly made a sweeping “carrying” gesture and received a technical foul, his fourth of the season.
It felt like Green was either embarrassed about his failed flop or angry it didn’t succeed. Regardless, he followed up with a frustration foul on the sidelines.
Afterward, Kerr took the emotional Green out of the game, and Sacramento immediately capitalized. The Kings went on a 7-0 run after Green’s technical, and turned a nine-point deficit into a one-point lead by the time Green returned with 5:46 remaining.
What really hurt was the absence of Green allowed the Kings to blitz Curry with two defenders with impunity. Golden State usually deals with those double teams by having Curry pass to Green, who takes advantage of the four-on-three advantage. No Green (or the injured Chris Paul) meant a stagnant offense - not to mention some big Sacramento offensive rebounds.
Green has racked up four technical fouls, two ejections and a five-game suspension while playing just 10 games so far. When the Warriors were at their peak, they could afford Green’s outbursts. With the team no longer dominant, its margin for victory is much narrower.
After all, Green’s technical foul gave the Kings an extra point - exactly the margin they won by.
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