Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were sent off after a chaotic scuffle less than two minutes into the Warriors’ 104-101 regular-season loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night at Chase Center.
The melee began when Thompson and Timberwolves wing Jaden McDaniels tangled and pushed each other as they ran down the court after a missed three-pointer by Anthony Edwards. Minnesota center Rudy Gobert intervened in the fight and was then put in a headlock by Green.
After a lengthy review, the referees ejected Thompson, Green and McDaniels for their involvement in the altercation, but Gobert was not penalized at all.
After the game, team manager Tyler Ford spoke to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater in a Pool Report interview and addressed the officials’ decisions.
ASK: “Why did you decide to eject Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels instead of giving them double technical points?”
FORD: “Both players were involved in an altercation that did not immediately resolve and their actions warranted ejection.”
ASK: “Why was Draymond Green rated Flagrant 2?”
FORD: “He has aggressively put Gobert in a headlock and refuses to let go. This is unnecessary and excessive behavior that meets the standard for a flagrant foul penalty 2.”
ASK: “Was there any consideration of imposing additional disciplinary action on Rudy Gobert or anyone involved other than Draymond Green?”
FORD: “Gobert tried to separate Thompson and McDaniels and was labeled a peacemaker. We reviewed all other players and actions and no other unsportsmanlike conduct was observed.”
Without star Steph Curry, who was dealing with a right knee injury, the Warriors lost their next best player less than 120 seconds into the game.
But rookie Brandin Podziemski and center Dario Saric led the attack as the Warriors nearly claimed the improbable victory before running out of steam in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
After the loss that dropped the Warriors to 6-6, they must now prepare for the possibility that Green could be suspended for his actions on Tuesday night. Next up for Golden State are two home games against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday and Saturday.
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