Draymond Green Faces Indefinite Suspension from NBA following Reckless Swing at Jusuf NurkiÄ as Warriors Fall to Suns
Draymond Green suspended indefinitely from NBA after altercation with Jusuf NurkiÄ; Golden State Warriors' forward faces disciplinary action, announced NBA
The NBA announced on Wednesday that Draymond Green, forward for the Golden State Warriors, has been suspended indefinitely after an on-court altercation earlier in the week. The 33-year-old was ejected from his team's 119-116 defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
In the third quarter, Green was being guarded by the center when he spun around and hit Jusuf NurkiÄ in the face with his right arm, causing him to fall to the ground. After reviewing the incident, the officials ruled it as a flagrant 2 foul, leading to an automatic ejection from the game.
Green stated following the game that the hit was unintentional.
"I don't usually apologize for things I intend to do, but I am sorry to Jusuf because I didn't mean to hit him," Green commented after the game. "I was just reacting to him grabbing and pulling my hip, so I spun away and, unfortunately, I hit him."
The NBA cited Green's history of unsportsmanlike behavior in their decision. This was the third ejection for Green during the season, with the first occurring during Golden State's November 11 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the second involving a high-profile incident three days later when he put Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock.
Former player of the year was suspended for five games due to previous unsportsmanlike behavior, as stated by the NBA. This suspension comes after Green stepped on the chest of Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis and was also suspended for one game in April.
The NBA announced that the new suspension for Green will start right away, and he will have to fulfill specific requirements set by the league and the team before he can resume playing. "We need Draymond. He knows that," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr after the game. "We've had conversations with him. He needs to maintain his composure and be there for his teammates."
"Draymond is an essential player for our team's success. We truly rely on him for our team to reach its full potential."
NurkiÄ responded to the incident after the game, expressing concern for Draymond's well-being: "I'm not sure what's happening with him. I personally believe he needs support."
"The incident had nothing to do with basketball, I was just trying to play the game and they started swinging," he stated.
Even with the absence of their starting power forward and main defender, the Warriors managed to stay competitive. Two-time MVP Steph Curry scored 24 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists. Meanwhile, rookie Brandon Podziemski contributed 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists coming off the bench.
Phoenix's Devin Booker dunks the ball during the game.
The Suns, missing star forward and former Warrior Kevin Durant due to injury, started to increase their lead in the late fourth quarter. However, they almost lost the win when the Warriors went on an 8-1 run in the final minute and a half of the game.
Thankfully for Phoenix, the Warriors had to resort to fouling with limited time remaining, and the Suns capitalized by making all their free throws to secure the win.
All-Star guard Devin Booker scored 32 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out seven assists, while Bradley Beal, returning from a back injury, contributed 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
The Suns improved to 13-10 with a significant victory over their Western Conference rivals, while the Warriors, facing an unusually slow start to the season, are currently 10-13 and ranked 11th in the conference, outside of the postseason Play-In spots.
Next, Golden State is set to face the Clippers in Los Angeles on Thursday.
