The Golden State Warriors may have let their foot off the gas pedal in the end, but they still took a comfortable 123-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies to move to 2-0 in the group stage of the 2024 NBA Cup. The victory, however, did not come without its fair share of drama towards the conclusion of the ballgame. Draymond Green, who never backs down from any skirmish, found himself being ejected from the game with just 1:14 to go in the fourth quarter.
With 1:47 left in the contest, Green was whistled for his first technical foul of the night for arguing with officials after Moses Moody was called for a foul. The Warriors then decided to call it a night for Green, as it looked as though they had the victory wrapped up by then. Regardless, Green picked up another technical foul from the bench, as he and head coach Steve Kerr (who also picked up a technical for his troubles) kept on making their feelings known towards the officials.
It’s not a surprise at all anymore to see Green rack up technical fouls. He has made a living out of being the Warriors’ enforcer, and with this responsibility comes the tendency for him to draw the ire of the officials. But referees have also given him a ton of leeway over the past few years, as they have let a ton of Green outbursts go and have given him a longer leash than most.
Green, of course, had been chirping all night long, and perhaps the officials have only grown exhausted of hearing him complain, therefore deciding to send him to the showers early.
Warriors improve to 10-2 on the year thanks to balanced effort
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Every team in the NBA has dealt with injury problems to start the 2024-25 season, and the Warriors are no exception. They were already without De’Anthony Melton to start the evening, and then Lindy Waters III ended up tweaking his knee and did not return to the game.
But the Warriors have been bailed out by their depth in the past, and this was the case for them on Friday night. It was a balanced attack that led the Dubs to a victory over the Grizzlies, with six different players scoring in double figures — led by Buddy Hield who had another great outing from the bench (18 points, 7-15 from the field).
At the moment, the Warriors are leading Group C of the NBA Cup, and they will look to go to 3-0 when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans exactly one week from today.