LAKE City, Utah – Former Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert was headlocked by Draymond Green, which Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr deemed “inexcusable.”
Before the Warriors’ Thursday night loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Steve Kerr blasted his All-Star forward for his treatment of Gobert.
“Draymond needs to learn how to stay within the lines. I’m not talking about a technical or ejection here; I mean a physical act of violence,” Kerr stated. “That is not acceptable.”
Early in the first quarter of the Warriors’ Tuesday loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Green choked Gobert.
Gobert intervened to break up a shoving fight between Golden State player Klay Thompson and Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels.
At that point, Green lunged forward, locked forces on Gobert, and pulled the three-time Defensive Player of the Year across the floor by the nape of his neck.
Related: Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert Have Sorted History
The NBA said on Wednesday that Gobert had been fined $25,000 and Green had received a five-game suspension.
“Draymond was in error,” Kerr continued. He is aware of it. It’s a poor appearance, and the five games are well-earned.
The NBA said that Green’s past of acting in an unsportsmanlike manner has a factor in determining how long the suspension will last.
Green’s salary will be reduced by $769,704 as a result of his suspension.
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Ben Anderson co-hosts Jake and Ben with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone from 10 to 12 p.m. He is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports. Ben can be found on Instagram @BensHoops and Twitter @BensHoops.
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Steph Curry was upgraded to uncertain.
On Saturday, the superstar of the Dubs might make a comeback.
The Oklahoma City Thunder humiliated the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, causing them to lose 128-109 at home. This extended their losing run to five games, and it dropped them below.500 for the first time since they were defeated by the Phoenix Suns in a thrilling game on opening night.
Even though no team likes to lose, the Warriors were not as strong as they could have been against the Thunder because they were without two of their best players, Steph Curry (the two-time MVP) and Draymond Green (four-time All-Star).
While Green was serving the first game of a five-game suspension for putting Rudy Gobert in a rear-naked choke, Curry was missing his second straight game due to a knee sprain sustained over the weekend.
The Warriors will get to… uhh… rematch the Thunder on Saturday night as compensation for being thoroughly defeated. And this time, they’re hoping to alter their destiny just a little bit. Reinforcements would be the simplest way to accomplish that, and there’s a chance they’re on their way.
Golden State announced on Friday that Curry had been upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s game, which is at 5:30 p.m. PT at Chase Center.
Curry’s return would be huge. Not only is he the face of the franchise, but he’s been the only Warrior to pose any semblance of a scoring threat this season. Steph’s 30.7 points per game are not only second in the NBA (behind only Joel Embiid), but they’re well over double that of the next-closest Warrior, as Klay Thompson’s 13.8 points per game are second on the team. Curry has eclipsed the 20-point mark in every game he’s played in this year, while the rest of the team has only done it four times, and none by regular starters: it’s been done twice by Dario Šarić, and once each by Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski.
Golden State may be able to regain one guard, but they are losing another. Due to a foot strain, Gary Payton II, who left Thursday’s game early and returned to the locker room, has already been ruled out. Get well, GPII!
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