Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks finally gave the NBA the clash fans have been waiting for, and it ended with Green heading to the locker room early.
Green was ejected in the third quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night at Chase Center after he threw Suns center Khaman Maluach to the floor and then grabbed Brooks’ jersey near his throat, according to Bright Side of the Sun.
With Phoenix up eight, Green took exception to Maluach on an and-one play. Bright Side of the Sun reported that Green believed the second-year big man had flopped after boxing him out, and Green slung him to the ground. Brooks rushed in to hold Green back from Maluach, and Green answered by grabbing a fistful of Brooks’ jersey up by his neck as players from both teams converged.
Video of the sequence, shared by Hoop Central, spread quickly on social media.
Officials reviewed the play and handed out a double technical. Green was charged with two technical fouls during the incident, one for the play on Maluach and one for the exchange with Brooks, triggering an automatic ejection, Sports Illustrated reported. Brooks was also assessed a technical.
Green, who had returned to the lineup after sitting out Golden State’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, left with four points, four rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes, SI reported.
It has been an eventful week for Brooks, too. He was ejected from Phoenix’s Oct. 30 loss to the Denver Nuggets after a foul on Jamal Murray was upgraded to a flagrant 2, and he said before Monday’s game that officials “have this mindset on me,” The Arizona Republic reported. Brooks led the NBA with 17 technical fouls last season, according to the newspaper.
Brooks has never been shy about picking fights with stars. He recently took his beef with LeBron James to a petty level, and he spent part of his offseason training kung fu in China. Golden State’s young core has had its own run-ins this season, with Yaxel Lendeborg saying he lost respect for Luka Doncic after a trash-talk session.
Green’s latest ejection adds to a long disciplinary history that includes multiple suspensions. It was not immediately clear whether the NBA would review the incident for further discipline.
