SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected from a playoff game after stomping on the chest of Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis.
The play happened in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the first-round playoff series Monday night after Stephen Curry grabbed a defensive rebound. The Kings won, 114-106, to take a 2-0 series lead.
As Curry turned to head up the floor, Sabonis slipped and fell in the paint. While down, in an effort to perhaps break free and run down the court, Green’s right foot landed squarely on Sabonis’ chest. Sabonis stayed down for a few minutes as the officials reviewed the play.
Sabonis was called for a technical foul for grabbing Green’s leg and Green was given a flagrant 2 foul that led to an automatic ejection.
“We’re both fighting for the rebound. We fell on each other,” Sabonis said in his postgame interview on TNT. “Stuff happens. It’s basketball. We got to move on to the next play.”
Sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Sabonis was set to undergo further evaluation, including X-rays on his ribs and lungs, after the win.
During the review, the fans in Sacramento yelled derogatory chants toward Green, who egged them on by waving his hands, holding a hand to his ear calling for louder cheers and standing on a chair with a towel wrapped around his shoulders.
This isn’t the first playoff infraction for Green, who got suspended for one game during the 2016 Finals after accumulating too many flagrant fouls in the playoffs that season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.