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A chest stomp by Domantas Sabonis ejected Draymond Green from the game
Aug
During a brief kerfuffle, Draymond Green stomped on Domantas Sabonis’ chest during Game 2 against the Sacramento Kings. There were just over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter of Monday’s match on Monday evening (April 17), when Stephen Curry grabbed a defensive rebound and headed up the court, while Sabonis failed to secure the rebound and fell to the ground. After grabbing Green’s leg, the three-time All-Star stepped on his chest, causing the four-time champion to shake off his grip.
Sabonis was given a technical foul due to the illegal physical contact, and Green was called on a “flagrant two” foul which leads to an automatic ejection, based on the NBA’s rules. The four-time NBA champion expressed his opinion in a post-game press conference, saying; “My leg got grabbed…I can only step so far with someone pulling my leg away”.
As a result of the game, Domantas Sabonis underwent X-rays of his sternum. He will undergo further testing on Tuesday (April 18), ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. Andscape’s Marc Spears reports that Draymond Green requested an X-ray on his ankle after Sabonis gripped his leg, citing soreness.
Draymond Green received a flagrant foul for stepping on Sabonis. pic.twitter.com/QWQ8QHZWgz
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 18, 2023
As the Golden State Warriors went on to lose to the Sacramento Kings 114-106 on Monday evening (April 17), Draymond’s health and availability to play for the rest of the series, pending further punishment, will be a major concern for them. Since the Western Conference semifinals in 2007, the Warriors have been 0-2 in playoff series.
Draymond Green ejected Flagrant 2 pic.twitter.com/F5Azfi92eJ
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) April 18, 2023
Although their losses in Sacramento are not entirely surprising, given their abysmal 11-30 record on the road this season, this early in the playoffs is unusual for them. The question is whether they will need to do so without their defensive anchor, Draymond Green, in order to avoid an insurmountable 3-0 deficit in their playoff home opener on Thursday (April 20).