Draymond Green accuses Grizzlies of provocation to get him ejected

Golden State Warriors veteran star forward Draymond Green engaged in a scuffle during Wednesday’s 137-116 blowout road win over the Memphis Grizzlies. However, according to the four-time NBA champion, the incident wasn’t his fault, as the Grizzlies provoked him.

Green has a well-documented history of on-court altercations, receiving numerous fines and suspensions over his 12-year career. This season alone, he has been suspended 17 games for incidents involving head-locking and striking Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns centers Rudy Gobert and Jusuf Nurkic.

The former Defensive Player of the Year underwent counseling before returning from his latest suspension in January. Since then, he has seemingly been on his best behavior to avoid causing any further trouble for his team.

However, Green briefly let his emotions get the best of him on Wednesday. During a Memphis timeout with 6:39 remaining in the second quarter, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins approached an official.

Jenkins appeared to bring up a previous play where Green shoved Memphis big man Santi Aldama after the two got tangled up underneath the basket. As he was doing so, Green butted in, leading Grizzlies shooting guard Desmond Bane to step in.

Green and Bane subsequently exchanged shoves, resulting in a multi-player altercation that culminated with Jenkins getting knocked to the floor. Green and Bane were later assessed with double technical fouls, but nobody was ejected.

After the game, Draymond Green was asked about the scuffle. The 34-year-old highlighted how the Grizzlies initiated the contact, noting they may have tried to get him ejected.

However, he added that the incident benefitted the Warriors, as they outscored Memphis 88-69 after the play.

“I got grabbed and snatched my arm away and got a tech,” Green said. “It kind of woke our team up. We got going from there and never looked back, so shout out to them. Maybe they were trying to get me thrown out, but it worked against them.”

Green nearly finished with a triple-double, tallying 10 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists on 50.0% shooting as the Warriors cruised to victory. Bane, on the other hand, struggled mightily, recording just six points on 15.4% shooting.

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Draymond Green and Desmond Bane reconciled following altercation

While Draymond Green questioned whether the Grizzlies tried to provoke him, he still reconciled with Desmond Bane.

Shortly after their altercation, Green approached Bane, and the two shook hands. So, the four-time All-Star shouldn’t have to worry about receiving further punishment from the league.

Additionally, Warriors coach Steve Kerr appeared unconcerned about the dustup. He noted postgame that incidents like that can be expected, given the teams’ budding rivalry over the last few seasons.

“We have a history with this team, and it’s always been very competitive,” Kerr said. “They're tough. When we play them, there’s usually some kind of dustup.”

After dispatching the Grizzlies, Golden State (36-32) will look to win its second straight game when it hosts the Indiana Pacers (39-31) on Friday.

On the flip side, Memphis (23-47) will attempt to snap its four-game losing streak when it visits the San Antonio Spurs (15-54) on Friday.

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