Draymond Green has been suspended for one game without pay for stepping on the chest of Domantas Sabonis and will miss Game 3 of the Warriors-Kings series Thursday night.
In a statement released Tuesday night, the NBA said its decision to suspend Green was based in part on the Warriors star’s “history of unsportsmanlike acts.”
It’s a huge loss for the Warriors, who find themselves down 2-0 in a series for the first time since 2007.
The news of the suspension came as a surprise to many, partly because it came at 11:42 p.m. Eastern, but also because Green had paid the price of being ejected from the game Monday night.
“I thought throwing him out of the game was adequate enough,” Shaquille O’Neal said on Inside the NBA Tuesday night.
While the NBA cited Green’s history, Charles Barkley said he thought Green’s “histrionics” played into it too. While the officials were reviewing the play Tuesday night, Green egged on the crowd — it included Commissioner Adam Silver — from the Warriors’ bench.
“I think his histrionics with the commissioner in the building, I think that’s why he got suspended,” Barkley said.
Green said Monday night that he was “excited” for the “new challenge” that they were facing as the series heads to San Francisco this week. But Golden State will try to defend home court Thursday without its fiery leader.
The incident that sparked the punishment occurred near the 7-minute mark of the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 114-106 loss to the Kings in Sacramento Monday night.
Green and Sabonis got tangled up as Stephen Curry grabbed a rebound and pushed the ball up the floor. Sabonis fell to the floor and pulled on Green’s leg, then the Warriors star stepped down on Sabonis’ chest as he tried to break free from his grasp.
The impact left Sabonis wincing in pain as he lay on the court for several minutes with team trainers hovering over him. Meanwhile, as officials deliberated the call, the home crowd broke out a “Draymond sucks!” chant, prompting Green to walk up to his team’s bench and encourage them to get louder.
Green received a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected from the game. Meanwhile, Sabonis, who remained in the game, was assessed a technical foul for grabbing Green’s foot.
After the game, Green said he didn’t think he was in the wrong for what happened.
“My leg got grabbed,” Green said. “Second time in two nights. Referees just watch it. I have to land my foot somewhere. I’m not the most flexible person, so that’s not stretching.”
Green said the referees told him he earned a Flagrant 2 because he “stomped too hard” on Sabonis.
Several Warriors players backed Green, with Klay Thompson stopping just short of calling Sabonis’ play “dirty.”
Meanwhile, Sabonis said he was protecting himself, and some of the Kings suggested Green crossed the line.
Sabonis’ X-rays came back negative, but the team said he’s questionable for Game 3 with a sternum contusion.
Thursday will be Green’s fourth career suspension and second in the playoffs. Green was shelved for a crucial Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers after an incident involving LeBron James. Green hit James in the groin when James tried to step over him after the two got tangled up.
The suspension changed the tide for the Warriors in that series. Golden State led 3-1 before Green’s discipline but went on to lose the Finals in seven games.
The Warriors have gone 102-45 in the playoffs with Green since 2012 and lost their only postseason game without him.
Coach Steve Kerr previously said he doesn’t view any game as a “must-win” until his team is on the brink of elimination. But with the series momentum in favor of the Kings and the Warriors still struggling with the same issues that haunted them in the regular season, Game 3 could be an inflection point.
