During Saturday’s NBA showdown between the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors, there was some chippiness, especially between Suns center Jusuf Nurkic and the Warriors’ Draymond Green.
The two exchanged “too small” gestures during the game, and afterward, Nurkic claimed Green hadn’t learned anything from the suspension he was levied after he smacked Nurkic during a game earlier this season. Curry then said Green was clearly in Nurkic’s head.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Green had a simple response to what his teammate said about Nurkic.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith feels the rest of the NBA is coming at Green in order to entice him to get involved in another dirty act, and he had a message for the Warriors leader.
“When you hear Nurkic say what he said during his post-game press conference,” Smith said. “He hasn’t learned anything. He’s gonna do it again. I take back everything I said about second chances. I want Draymond to be careful. Only because other players are going to assist in creating or elevating that narrative that has plagued him. You can compete. You can get after it. But at the same time, be very careful. Because, the second any kind of slip-up happens again, the hammer will come down.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors, Jusuf Nurkic, Phoenix Suns Updates
Green has actually been suspended twice already this season — once for his hit on Nurkic and once prior to that, when he put Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold. In last year’s players, he stomped on Sacramento Kings star big man Domantas Sabonis, which resulted in a one-game suspension.
His most infamous suspension came during the 2016 NBA Finals when he hit LeBron James below the belt and was forced to miss Game 5. Golden State led the series 3-1 and had Game 5 at home, which it lost, and it went on to lose the series in seven games. Many still feel had it not been for that suspension, the team would’ve won that world championship.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors, Jusuf Nurkic, Phoenix Suns Updates
The Warriors are now on a five-game winning streak and have risen to 10th place in the Western Conference, and their offense is starting to hum. If Green is on his best behavior, he could make them a team no one would want to face in the playoffs, so long as they do make it there.
