Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic doesn’t think Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has learned his lesson.
Green is just a few weeks back from serving a 12-game suspension for striking Nurkic in the face during a December contest between the Suns and Warriors.
Nurkic claimed at the time that everyone – even Green – deserved a second chance to learn from their mistakes. After Saturday’s game, the Suns center no longer felt the same way.
Nurkic was highly critical of Green following his team's 113-112 loss to the Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. The Bosnian big man claimed that Green is still virtually a ticking time bomb that’s bound to erupt again in the near future.
“It’s sad. He didn’t learn anything, man,” Nurkic told reporters in the locker room. “It’s just a matter of time he’s going to knock somebody else again. I take everything back that I said. He doesn’t deserve a second chance.”
Nurkic pointed to Green’s continued “antics” and claimed the Warriors star was still trying “to hit people.”
The two were visibly contentious toward one another throughout the matchup.
Nurkic and Green also exchanged “too small” taunts after scoring over each other during one fourth-quarter sequence.
Green entered Saturday’s contest without being whistled for a technical foul in the 10 games since returning from his suspension. That run ended against the Suns when Green took umbrage with a non-call early in the third quarter and let the referees know it.
Green won the center matchup with 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. Nurkic finished with six points, six rebounds and four assists.
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