The Bay Area NBA playoffs showdown between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings will be without a star figure for Game 3: Draymond Green.
Green is serving a one-game suspension for stepping on the chest of Kings forward Domantas Sabonis in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
“The suspension was based in part on Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts,” the NBA said in a statement.
Green’s history includes being the only player in the past 10 seasons to be suspended multiple times in the playoffs, per ESPN Stats & Information. He has 163 career technical fouls, 17 ejections and four suspensions — including six flagrant fouls and 27 technical fouls in 147 playoff games.
His absence was immediately apparent in Game 2. Prior to Green’s ejection with 7:03 left in the fourth quarter, Sacramento had scored just eight points, shot 3-of-8 from the field and grabbed three rebounds in the quarter. After Green’s ejection, the Kings scored 23 points while shooting 10-of-15 from the field and picking up seven rebounds.
As Golden State looks to avoid falling in a 3-0 hole, here’s how the team fared in previous playoff series while Green faced disciplinary action.
Game 1, 2022 Western Conference semifinals
Green’s only previous playoff ejection came last year in Golden State’s second-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Green was assessed a flagrant foul and an ejection with 1:18 remaining in the first half, and the Grizzlies held a 61-55 lead at the midway mark. But thanks to outstanding scoring from the bench, Klay Thompson’s go-ahead 3-pointer and Ja Morant’s missed last-second layup, Golden State came back to win 117-116.
He returned for Game 2 and recorded 6 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists in a 106-101 win for the Grizzlies.
Series result: 4-2, Warriors
Game 5, 2016 NBA Finals
Green received a flagrant foul 1 at the end of Game 4 against the Cleveland Cavaliers after an interaction with LeBron James where he “made unnecessary contact with a retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin.” It was his fourth flagrant foul point of the postseason, which triggered a one-game suspension that caused him to miss Game 5.
His absence was noticed offensively as the Warriors shot just 36% from the field, their lowest of any game that postseason, and recorded 18 assists while averaging 23.3 in the other six games in the series.
Green’s impact was also felt defensively, as the Cavaliers shot 53% from the floor in Game 5, their best in any game that series. The Warriors gave up 112 points in their Game 5 loss, which was over their postseason opponent’s average of 103.3 points per game.
Moreover, it was a major momentum shift as Golden State blew its 3-1 lead, and Cleveland completed the historic comeback.
Series result: 4-3, Cavaliers
ESPN Stats & Info contributed to this story.
Source: www.espn.com