SAN FRANCISCO: Officials ejected Draymond Green after two technical fouls during an altercation with Phoenix Suns players on Monday, before Golden State Warriors recovered to win 116-113 at Chase Centre.
With 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Khaman Maluach knocked Green to the floor beneath the basket. Green immediately stood up, grabbed the Suns centre and drew a personal foul.
He then threw Maluach to the court after the whistle, prompting officials to assess his first technical foul.
Dillon Brooks ran from the top of the key to confront Green. Both players grabbed each other’s jerseys before others separated them.
Following a review, officials assessed a technical foul against each player for the confrontation. Green’s second technical triggered his automatic ejection, his first of the 2026-27 National Basketball Association (NBA) season.
“I was just trying to de-escalate it,” Brooks said afterwards. Golden State trailed 67-57 when Green left the game.
He finished with four points, four rebounds and two assists in just under 17 minutes. Although the Warriors lost their veteran forward, they outscored Phoenix by 13 points over the remainder of the contest.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 34 points, while replacement centre Charles Bassey contributed a career-best 19 points and eight rebounds. Devin Booker scored 26 for Phoenix before fouling out with 58 seconds remaining.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr played down the confrontation afterwards, describing it as competition between elite players. Green did not speak to reporters after the game.
Monday’s incident brought Green’s career ejection total to 31: 23 in regular-season games and eight in the playoffs. He now has three technical fouls across six appearances this season.
Golden State’s victory extended its winning streak to five games.
(With input from ESPN and NBC Sports Bay Area.)
