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Draymond Green was assessed his fifth technical foul in just his ninth playoff game this year – two more would warrant an automatic suspension.
In the second quarter, Green elbowed Naz Reid after Reid had just fouled him.
Green was suspended indefinitely last season for his on-court antics that had been brewing since the prior playoffs, including stomping on Domantas Sabonis. He also put Rudy Gobert in a chokehold and hit Jusuf Nurkic with an open hand, which led to the extended suspension.
However, after the game, Green seemed to hint that he believes there is an “agenda” against him that he is an “angry Black man.”
“Looked like the angry Black man. I’m not an angry Black man. I am a very successful, educated Black man with a great family, and I am great at basketball and great at what I do,” he said.
“The agenda to try to keep making me look like an angry Black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous.”
In the Warriors’ last season, Green admitted he was “embarrassed” that he “pouted way too much” during a game at home in which they lost that forced a Game 7. He said he had “some heart-to-hearts” with “people I trust the most” after that game.
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Head coach Steve Kerr said that Green’s actions that led to his tech are “habit.”
“It’s just a habit he has when somebody fouls him, and he’s smart,” Kerr said. “So I think it was Reid reached and on the reach, Draymond kind of swiped through and drew the foul. But he does have a habit of sort of flailing his arm to try to make sure the ref sees it, and he made contact, and that’s what led to the tech.”
“It’s part of Draymond,” Kerr added. “It’s the same thing that makes him such a competitor and a winner, puts him over the top sometimes, and we know that, and it’s our job to try to help him stay poised, stay composed. But the competition is so meaningful to him that occasionally he goes over the line.”
Golden State lost the game, 117-93, as Stephen Curry is dealing with a hamstring injury. Julius Randle had 24 points and 11 assists, and Anthony Edwards and Nickeil Alexander-Walker each finished with 20 points.
The Warriors put up their lowest first-quarter score (15) in the playoffs since Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals, according to Sportradar, when they had 11 in a loss to Cleveland. In those Finals, Green missed Game 5 due to a suspension from technical fouls, which kick-started Cleveland’s comeback from being down 3-1 in the series.
Game 3 of the Wolves and Warriors is back in the Bay Area on Saturday night.
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