Credit: X
Devin Booker and Bradley Beal clinched their first win as teammates on Tuesday night as the Phoenix Suns without Kevin Durant defeated the Golden State Warriors in a close-fought battle by 119-116. However, Draymond Green again made the headlines for all the wrong reasons as he was ejected for the 18th time in his regular season career, which is the most among active players.
In November, Draymond was ejected for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold and later he was handed a five-match suspension. Early in the third quarter at the Footprint Center on Tuesday night, Green and Suns center Nurkic were involved in a minor push-and-shove battle leading Green to hit Nurkic in his face. The 33-year-old Draymond, who got frustrated after not breaking free from Nurkic's defense, committed a Flagrant 2 foul that could reportedly lead to further suspension and fine.
With 8:23 remaining in the third quarter and the Warriors leading the Suns by five points, Draymond swung his arm and hit Nurkic in the face, leaving the Suns' center on the floor while Green was ejected for his violent play.
Watch the video here:
Draymond apologizes to Nurkic
In a post-match press conference, Draymond reacted to his ejection and apologized to Jusuf Nurkic for hitting him in the face. Green told reporters, "He was pulling my hip and I was swinging away to sell the call and made contact with him. As you know, I’m not one to apologize for things I meant to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf. I didn’t intend to hit him."
Watch the video here:
Nurkic also responded to Draymond's ejection and stated that Green "needs help". The Suns center said, "What’s going on with him? I don’t know. Personally, I feel like that brother needs help."
Watch the video here:
The Suns ended their two-game losing streak against the Warriors to climb a spot to reach the eighth place in the Western Conference standings. On the other hand, the Warriors lost their last two games to manage the 11th spot with a 10-13 record.
