ORLANDO, Fla. — Less than four minutes into the Warriors’ contest against the Magic in the Kia Center, Draymond Green got ejected.
Green, arguing with official Ray Acosta, got assessed a pair of technical fouls in rapid succession. The faces of his teammates in front of Golden State’s expressed mild bewilderment.
Green hadn’t been ejected from a game since he returned from his indefinite suspension for reckless on-court behavior. Just days ago, Steve Kerr praised the veteran big man for his composure and leadership.
“He’s walked the line perfectly,” Kerr said on March 24. “Gotten a couple techs for yelling at the refs, but he has not crossed that line, nor do I expect him to. I hate that that happened to Rudy (Gobert) and to (Jusuf) Nurkic. I hate that that happened to Jordan. I’ve said this many times, I hate that all that happened. But I couldn’t be more proud with the way Draymond has responded, and he’s gotten his career and his life back on track. It’s wonderful.”
Green’s ejection came with 8:24 left in the first quarter. His ninth and 10th technicals of the year amounted to his fourth ejection. The most significant ones came when he put Gobert in a choke hold — earning a five-game suspension — and soon after struck Nurkic. Kerr said that after the latter incident, he thought Green’s “career was on the line.”
Draymond picked up two technicals and was ejected after having words with the ref pic.twitter.com/tn2muDIXGo
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 27, 2024
The Warriors were already undermanned in Orlando, as Jonathan Kuminga was ruled out with left knee tendinitis. Losing Green so early only made things tougher against a Magic team contending for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.