Draymond Green got the quick hook from the Golden State Warriors’ road win against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
Green was ejected less than four minutes into the team’s 101-93 victory at Kia Center in Orlando after arguing with referee Ray Acosta.
The Warriors were leading the Magic 6-4 in the first quarter when Orlando star Paolo Banchero drove to the hoop on Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins and made the bucket, with Wiggins getting whistled for a foul.
Green then approached Acosta and got whistled for a quick technical.
As the Warriors’ NBC Sports Bay Area announcers cautioned that Green needed to be careful about continuing to argue because Golden State was already down Jonathan Kuminga in the contest, Green continued to jaw at the official.
When Green’s teammates tried to play peacemakers, he continued to make his case and was subsequently ejected for his second technical foul with 8:24 left in the first quarter.
“After a prolonged diatribe, Green directed egregious profane language towards a game official,” crew chief Mitchell Irvin said after the game, per the Associated Press.
He finished with one assist and three rebounds.
“It’s unfortunate. He deserved it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the win. “And he’ll bounce back.”
The ejection came at a trying time for the Warriors, who are now 38-34 and just one game ahead of the Rockets for the 10th seed in the Western Conference — and final spot in the NBA’s play-in tournament to make the postseason.
But thanks in part to Steph Curry’s 17 points, the Warriors hung on without Green.
“But it was a beautiful team effort to respond the way we did,” Curry said. “We went and took it, and that’s a good sign for us.”
“We need him. He knows that. We all know that, so whatever it takes to keep him on the floor, for him to be available, that’s what’s got to happen, especially at this time of year. I’ve talked to him plenty of times about it, even tonight, and I’ll continue to talk to him as a teammate and a friend.”
Green has missed a lot of time this season, as he was previously suspended indefinitely — amounting to 12 games — for socking Suns big man Jusuf Nurkic in the face.
