It has been a weird start to the season for the defending champions. They’ve looked surprising normal in stretches and last night had to rally hard from 18 points down at home. They managed to beat the Wizards but did so with Draymond Green in the locker room, marking the second time this season Green didn’t finish a game.
The first time was because of a minor knee injury. This time, his scuffle with Bradley Beal earned him his second technical and a toss. Once again, Draymond allowed his emotions to affect his play.
Chris Haynes of ESPN has an inside look at what happened:
Members of both teams as well as officials, coaches and even a fan tried to break up the melee. Two Wizards players — Markieff Morris, who was inactive and in street clothes as he recovers from hernia surgery, and Carrick Felix — left the bench during the scuffle and are likely to receive a one-game suspension.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether punches were thrown.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do if someone hits you twice,” Green told ESPN as he left the locker room at halftime. “Man, you’re taught as a kid not to allow that. What was I supposed to do?”
Green emerged from the scuffle with his jersey ripped, and the two continued to jaw back and forth at each other from their respective benches.
Asked whether he has a history with Beal, Green told ESPN, “There’s history with me and the NBA. That’s the only reason I can think of why I was ejected.”
Beal said he apologized to his teammates at halftime and after the game, and said he “needs to show better leadership and control.”
