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In Sunday’s Game 1 win against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors overcame the absence of forward Draymond Green after his first-half ejection.
After the victory, Green’s teammate Stephen Curry expressed his disappointment in how he was thrown out of the game.
“Nobody wants to see that,” Curry told reporters. “It’s not good for the game.”
KNBR @KNBR
Stephen Curry on Draymond Green’s ejection:
“Nobody wants to see that. It’s not good for the game.” pic.twitter.com/KbmQ3LyGZ9
Green’s ejection occurred late in the second quarter when he was called for a flagrant-2 foul on Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke. Green appeared to hit Clarke in the face and also grabbed him by the jersey, seemingly to help him brace for the fall.
After the referees made the decision to end Green’s night early, other nba players and fans took to social media to rip the officials. Some also were unhappy with their overall handling of the game after a first half filled with foul calls.
With Green out of the game, the Warriors used a rotation of players in the frontcourt to help make up for his absence. Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga and Otto Porter Jr. all gave Golden State some solid minutes in the second half. But the star of the game was emerging guard Jordan Poole.
The third-year sharpshooter had been removed from the starting lineup in favor of the more defensive-minded Gary Payton II to match him up against Grizzlies star Ja Morant. Poole started the second half and finished with a team-high 31 points off the bench, going 5-of-10 from three-point range.
The Warriors will try to keep the momentum going in Game 2 on Tuesday.
