Warriors coach Steve Kerr was asked about the Draymond Green ejection in his postgame press availability, but the Golden State coach wasn’t ready to discuss it in detail.
“I haven’t seen it. I haven’t seen a replay, so I have no comment on it,” Kerr stammered nervously.
It was clear that Kerr didn’t want to get into the specifics of Green’s third ejection this season. Green lost his cool in the third quarter when he was jostling for offensive position on an inbounds pass with Suns big man Jusuf Nurkić defending him. Unprovoked, Green swung his right arm around and punched Nurkić in the face.
Draymond Green has been ejected after striking Jusuf Nurkić
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 13, 2023
(via @TSN_Sports)pic.twitter.com/iGc4HUkIAD
Green was quickly assessed a Flagrant 2 foul after review and was ejected from the game. When he exited, the Warriors were leading 65–60. The Suns ended up coming from behind and winning 119–116 behind a 32-point effort from Devin Booker.
While Kerr wasn’t ready to address the incident itself, he was more than happy to share the impact that it had on the game.
“It was a huge swing,” Kerr said about losing Green. “We kinda felt good about having him at the five and spreading the floor … thought that could really get Steph some space. … So I felt good about having him out there but lost his poise.”
The latest incident involving Green is likely to earn him another league-mandated suspension. He’s already served a five-game suspension earlier this season for putting Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold. Kerr emphasized that Golden State needs Green on the floor.
“Yeah we need him. We need Draymond. He knows that. We’ve talked to him. He’s gotta find a way to keep his poise and be out there for his teammates.
Steve Kerr on losing Draymond Green to an ejection mid-game again pic.twitter.com/z7pwVAn605
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 13, 2023
Golden State is 10–13 on the season, sitting 11th in the West through 23 games. The Warriors head to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Thursday night, and will brace for the likely absence of Green as they look to get back on the right track.
