Draymond Green’s reputation is not going to improve. The Golden State Warriors power forward has made a specialty of being hated almost everywhere he goes, and his wrestling move on Rudy Gobert on Tuesday evening during the clash between Golden State and Minnesota should add a little line to his “bad boy” CV. The 33-year-old American threw himself into a scuffle by strangling the Frenchman Rudy Gobert with his arm, from behind and for several seconds, particularly violent images.
After less than two minutes of play, when no basket had been scored, the incident started between Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota) and Klay Thompson (Golden State), Gobert intervening to separate them, before the arrival of Green . Green was excluded as was Thompson, the torn jersey, and McDaniels.
“Klay Thompson should not have been excluded, it’s ridiculous, he is pulled by the jersey, he shoots himself in response,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr at a press conference, present as close as possible to the fight. Concerning Draymond, if we look closely at the images, Rudy had his hands at Klay’s neck, which explains Draymond’s reaction. »
Green risks a heavy sanction
An analysis that does not agree with the slow motion reports, widely relayed on social networks. Draymond Green could be heavily suspended for his action, he is used to suspensions and technical fouls. In April, he was suspended for one game for stepping on an opponent during the playoffs against Sacramento. In October 2022, he hit a teammate (Jordan Poole, who has since left for Washington) during a training session. In 2016, he was sanctioned for a bad gesture on LeBron James during the NBA final.
Without two players excluded, and without their star Stephen Curry (hit in a knee for a short-term absence according to Kerr), the Warriors still held up to the Timberwolves, a team in good form at the moment. But Karl-Anthony Towns (33 points, 11 rebounds) and Anthony Edwards (20 points) made the difference at the end of the game (104-101). Rudy Gobert played 35 minutes for 9 points and 13 rebounds. Enough to place the Wolves in second place in the Western Conference (8 wins for 2 losses).