The Golden State Warriors overturned an 11-point deficit Saturday after forward Draymond Green was ejected early in the second quarter, snapping a three-game skid with a victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Green received two technical fouls in quick succession—first for shoving Collin Gillespie during transition play, then for confronting lead official Pat Fraher—resulting in an automatic dismissal. “Once he’s out of there, we know we all got to come together,” guard Gary Payton II said. “When we’re doing that as a unit, we can be pretty damn good.”
Defensive turnaround
Phoenix poured in 44 points and recorded five dunks in the opening quarter. Following Green’s exit, Golden State clamped down, limiting the Suns to 31.8 percent shooting over the second and third periods. “I think it woke us up,” Stephen Curry explained. “Without him, we’re going to have to play even tougher.”
Kerr questions officiating consistency
Head coach Steve Kerr labeled Green’s ejection “weak” and revisited Thursday’s incident involving Houston’s Dillon Brooks, who received a flagrant 1 but avoided ejection after what Kerr considered a “premeditated punch” to Curry’s stomach. “I don’t know what the point of replay is if you’re not gonna kick a guy out for literally punching somebody,” Kerr said, citing Brooks’ prior playoff foul that fractured Payton’s elbow.
Lineup change pays off
Rookie Will Richard contributed 20 points after Kerr made the tough decision to list Buddy Hield as a healthy scratch, halting Hield’s streak of 199 consecutive games played. “I felt terrible,” Kerr admitted, “but we needed to get Will back out there. You can see why.” Kerr added that Hield handled the move professionally.
The combination of defensive urgency and fresh rotation pieces delivered the Warriors the energy they needed to close out the win and reset their season’s momentum.
Source: Hoops Wire
