Warriors rally past Suns 116-113 after Draymond Green is ejected in third quarter
Draymond Green was tossed early in the third, and the Warriors came back to beat Phoenix 116-113 for their fifth win in a row. Miami is next.
The Golden State Warriors lost Draymond Green early in the third quarter Monday night, then rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns 116-113 at Chase Center. The win was their fifth in a row and lifted them to 5-3 after an 0-3 start.
According to ESPN, the trouble started with about 10 minutes left in the third. Suns center Khaman Maluach knocked Green to the floor under the basket. Green got straight up, wrapped up Maluach for a personal foul and threw him to the court after the whistle. Officials called that a "throwdown" and gave Green a technical. Dillon Brooks then ran in from the top of the key, and the two longtime rivals grabbed each other before they were pulled apart. After a review, officials gave both players technicals, and Green's second meant an automatic ejection. Yahoo Sports reported that Green left with four points and four rebounds.
It was Green's first ejection of the season. He now has 23 in the regular season and 31 in his career, counting eight in the playoffs. ESPN noted that Golden State was on the second night of a back-to-back against a rested Phoenix team and trailed 67-57 when Green was sent off.
After that, the game turned. The Warriors scored 42 points in the third quarter and had the game tied by the end of it. Stephen Curry finished with 34 points, seven assists and six rebounds, according to ESPN's game recap. Charles Bassey played heavy minutes in Green's place and scored a career-high 19 points with eight rebounds. Brandin Podziemski added 20. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that rookie Yaxel Lendeborg blocked a running layup by Jalen Green as Golden State held on in a late free-throw battle. Tempers flared again with 7:26 to play, and Phoenix's Miles Bridges was given a technical for shoving Bassey after a scramble for a rebound. Curry told ESPN that Green's exit "lit a fire in all of us," and the team answered.
What it means against Miami
Golden State hosts the Miami Heat on Thursday, Nov. 5 (NBA TV). That will be the fourth game of a six-game homestand. The two days off between games should help a team that was running low on energy on Monday.
The ejection does not appear to change Green's status for Thursday, and none of the reports point to further discipline. His fifth technical over two straight nights is still worth watching. Green's edge drives this team's defense, but the Warriors have also seen how quickly a sequence like Monday's can force them to play without him.
The Warriors have changed a lot in a week and a half. They lost their first three games, at the Lakers by 22, at home to Memphis by three and at Phoenix by nine. Since then they have won at Denver and Minnesota and beaten the Lakers, Clippers and Suns at home. The season series with Phoenix is now 1-1. Three of the five wins have come by double digits. Monday's win needed a comeback, which suggests the Warriors can win a messy game but are still vulnerable to slow starts. Phoenix led 31-19 after the first quarter.
For more on the season, see the Golden State Warriors team page.
