Draymond Green found himself in another controversy in the NBA Playoffs — and this time he got ejected.
The No. 3 seed Sacramento Kings vs. the No. 6 seed Golden State Warriors has quickly become the most entertaining series of the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The Kings took Game 1 at home, which set up a pressure-packed Game 2 for Golden State on Monday night.
The Kings beat the Warriors, 114-106, to go up 2-0 with the series headed back to Golden State. The Warriors had not gone down 0-2 in a playoff series since 2007, but now it feels like their dynasty is on life support.
Game 2 was tightly contested late in the fourth quarter when a controversial moment that led to the ejection of Draymond Green changed the complexion of the evening. The Kings led 91-87 with 7:03 remaining in regulation when Green and Domantas Sabonis got tangled up under the basket after a Kings miss. As Sabonis fell to the ground, he grabbed Green’s leg so he couldn’t run the other way. Green responded by stomping on Sabonis, and the refs blew the play dead.
After a long delay, Green was assessed a flagrant-2 and subsequent automatic ejection. Sabonis was also given a technical foul. Watch the play here:
Green was taunting Kings fans in the crowd as the refs were reviewing the play.
Sabonis had X-rays on his ribs and lungs after the game:
Sacramento Kings All-Star Domantas Sabonis is undergoing X-rays on his ribs/lungs, sources tell ESPN. Sabonis is getting evaluated after Draymond Green stepped on him in Game 2.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 18, 2023
Green has had so many controversial moments in the playoffs during his career. This is another one for the canon.
Game 2 was physical from the opening tip. The refs let both sides get away with a lot of pushing and shoving, and Green and Sabonis were in the middle of it for much of the night.
In Game 1 on Saturday, Green and Sabonis got tangled up on a similar play that set up a go-ahead shot attempt for the Warriors, but Andrew Wiggins missed:
We can’t wait to hear Draymond’s podcast on this one.
We’ll update this story as it develops.
