Draymond Green ejected after Dillon Brooks scuffle

It started with a foul under the basket. Green hacked Khaman Maluach on a bucket, the two got tangled, and then Green put the rookie on the floor.

ClutchPoints

@ClutchPoints

Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks were getting into it on this play 👀 Green sparked the altercation by throwing Khaman Maluach to the floor.

Of course it was Dillon Brooks who showed up. Of all the guys in the league you could send to calm Draymond down, Phoenix sent the one guy guaranteed to do the opposite. The officials went to the monitor, and the review cost Green his night: 1 tech for the toss of Maluach, then a double tech with Brooks, and that's 2 and gone.

Anthony Slater

@anthonyVslater

It’s the first Draymond Green ejection of the season, 23rd of his regular season career. He fouled Khaman Maluach and then refs ruled a post-whistle toss of Maluach as his first technical. Dillon Brooks entered the fray, they grabbed each other and a double T was ruled — Green’s second + ejection.

It came about 2 minutes into the third quarter, with Green sitting on 4 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 17 minutes. The Suns were up 68-57 after the free throws, in San Francisco, and on paper losing your emotional engine down double digits is how a game gets away from you. Phoenix's side of it was predictable. Brooks said after the game he was 'just trying to de-escalate it' and that Green 'was just tweaking all game,' which is a funny thing to hear from Dillon Brooks, but it's his story.

Instead it was the Suns who came apart. Phoenix had led by as many as 17, and the Warriors chipped away until the fourth quarter got just as ugly as the third. Jalen Green missed a layup, Charles Bassey got called for a foul fighting for the rebound, and Miles Bridges came over and shoved Bassey. After another review, that was the night's 3rd technical.

Duane Rankin

@DuaneRankin

Forget testy. It's getting testier. Jalen Green missed a layup, then battled for rebound with Bassey, who was behind Green. Bassey was called for the foul. That led to Miles Bridges coming and pushing Bassey. After review, Bridges was called for a technical foul. Lendeborg technical FT. Suns down 104-97 after leading by as many as 17 points. #Suns #DubNation

Bassey was the guy nobody saw coming. Filling the minutes Green left behind, he put up a career-high 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Steph Curry did Steph Curry things: 34 points, 5 threes and 11-of-12 at the line. Golden State closed it out 116-113 for its 5th straight win, and afterward Curry gave his read on the guy who wasn't there to see it.

Duane Rankin

@DuaneRankin

"He lit a fire in us and we had to respond. I'm glad we did." Stephen Curry on Draymond Green, who was ejected in the third quarter. #Suns #DubNation

That's the Draymond deal in one night. He's 1 bad decision away from leaving his team shorthanded, and the Warriors have learned to treat it like a rallying cry instead of a disaster. It's his 1st ejection this season, so the question is whether the league adds anything on top of it. On the Phoenix side, they'll be hoping Brooks gets his tech rescinded. Neither team is going to forget this one the next time they meet.