Draymond Green officially will serve a one-game suspension after the NBA upheld his 16th technical foul of the season Thursday.
Green committed the technical foul in the second quarter of the Warriors’ 134-126 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Green threw the basketball at Russell Westbrook after the Clippers guard appeared to shove him in the back.
Green will serve his suspension Friday when the Warriors visit the Atlanta Hawks.
The Warriors forward was confident that the call would be overturned by the league office Thursday.
"I expect something will change,” Green said Wednesday night after the loss.
NBA players and coaches are allowed 15 technical fouls over the 82-game regular season. Once that limit is surpassed, the player or coach is automatically suspended one game without pay.
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Dillon Brooks, who happens to be Green’s arch-rival on and off the court, was the first NBA player to be suspended for exceeding the technical foul limit this season. He was suspended for the Memphis Grizzlies' 135-129 loss to the Clippers on March 5.
Two other players currently are one technical foul away from suspension: Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic and Hawks guard Trae Young.
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Green will have to be careful in the Warriors’ final 12 games of the regular season. From here on out, every two technical fouls will result in a one-game suspension.
The Warriors, fighting for playoff positioning in the crowded Western Conference, need every win they can pick up over the final stretch. They need Green, their heart and soul on the floor, to be available when it matters most.
