On Monday night, Draymond Green stepped on the chest of Domantas Sabonis in the fourth quarter.
The NBA confirmed Tuesday night that Draymond Green would miss Game 3 of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings’ first-round series because of a suspension. The league said that “Green’s history of unsportsmanlike behavior” had a role in the penalty. Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported that Draymond Green would most likely be penalized rather than suspended.
The incident that led to the ban occurred on Monday in the fourth quarter of Game 2 between the Warriors and the Kings. Kings center Domantas Sabonis grabbed Green’s leg after a failed floater by Malik Monk, and Green retaliated by stomping on Sabonis’ chest. Sabonis received a flagrant-1 foul for the incident and was dismissed from the game shortly afterward.
It is not Draymond Green’s first time getting in trouble during the playoffs
After Green was called for a flagrant-1 penalty after Game 4 of the 2016 NBA Finals for striking LeBron James in the groin, he was notoriously banned for the rest of the series. His ban for Finals Game 5 was inevitable after accumulating the series’s third flagrant foul point. The Warriors went on to lose the series after that game.
After receiving his 16th technical foul of the season in March, he was automatically banned for one game. Last year, Green fouled Brandon Clarke on a layup attempt and was ejected from Game 1 of the Warriors’ series against the Memphis Grizzlies. Twelve times throughout his postseason career, he was ejected for a foul.
Green’s entire season has been mired in controversy. It all started when he assaulted teammate Jordan Poole during training camp, forcing him to take time away from the squad. According to reports, Green is looking for a lengthy contract extension from the Warriors before he becomes a free agency this offseason. Poole’s new deal is for four years and as much as $140 million. Despite the small distance between San Francisco and Sacramento, Green predicted a first-round meeting with the Kings before the playoffs began.
The Warriors face an uphill battle after falling behind 2-0 to the Kings in this series and losing Green for the rest. Despite being a potential Hall of Famer and an integral part of the Warriors’ most successful period ever, there is reason to believe that Game 4 will be Green’s last home game as a member of the team due to his age, stylistic limitations, salary demands, and series of scandals.
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