Warriors’ Draymond Green Ejected from Game 2 for Flagrant Foul on Kings’ Domantas Sabonis
Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green was ejected from Monday night’s playoff game against the Sacramento Kings after stomping on the chest of Kings forward Domantas Sabonis. The incident occurred during the fourth quarter of the Kings’ 114-106 win in Game 2 of the first-round series.
Stephen Curry grabbed a defensive rebound, and with the Warriors pushing the ball up court, Sabonis fell to the ground, and Green took a hard step on his chest. Sabonis stayed down for a few minutes as officials reviewed the play. Sabonis had X-rays taken on his ribs and lungs, which returned negative, and it appears he has avoided serious injury. However, he will undergo additional testing on Tuesday as a precautionary measure.
During the review, fans in Sacramento yelled derogatory chants toward Green, who egged them on by waving his hands, holding a hand to his ear, and standing on a chair.
Kings coach Mike Brown said Sabonis was set to undergo X-rays to check on his ribs and lungs after the game. “Obviously, we hope our brother is OK,” teammate De’Aaron Fox said. “We hope he’s not injured. Even just outside of basketball, to fracture a rib or puncture a lung, that’s a serious injury. So we just hope for the best right now.”
Green’s Previous Playoff Infractions
This isn’t the first playoff infraction for Green, who was suspended for one game during the 2016 Finals after accumulating too many flagrant fouls in the playoffs that season. After the game, Green referred to a play in Game 1 with Malik Monk, stating, “My leg got grabbed. Second time in two nights. Referees just watch it. I have to land my foot somewhere. I’m not the most flexible person, so it’s not stretching that far.” Sabonis was called for a technical foul for grabbing Green’s leg, and Green was given a flagrant-2 foul that led to an automatic ejection.
In a postgame interview on TNT, Sabonis said, “We’re both fighting for the rebound. We fell on each other. Stuff happens. It’s basketball. We’ve got to move on to the next play.”
Green’s ejection is a blow to the Warriors, who will be without him for Game 3. The Kings currently lead the series 2-0.
