The Denver Post

Warriors’ Green suspended after in-team dustup

- By Janie McCauley

OAKLAN D, CALIF. » The Golden State Warriors don’t expect Draymond Green’s latest dustup with Kevin Durant to become a longterm issue for the two-time defending NBA champions.

Nor do they expect the emotional Green to change after his one-game suspension by the team Tuesday.

Green was suspended one game without pay for conduct detrimenta­l to the team following an altercatio­n a night earlier with Durant, though general manager Bob Myers declined to offer specifics on the all-star forward’s behavior that was considered going too far. Myers and Steve Kerr collaborat­ed on the decision.

“We just felt like this rose to the level of acting the way we did,” Myers said, noting of Green: “He was profession­al. He loves to play basketball, which is all you can ask of him.”

The Warriors made the announceme­nt about four hours before they were set to host Atlanta, and the 28-year-old Green was serving the suspension against the Hawks. He wasn’t at Oracle Arena and didn’t immediatel­y respond to a text message seeking comment.

“I think we’ll be fine,” Kerr said. “We’re a team that goes through stuff, just like everybody else. And things happen, bumps in the road. You’ve got to move forward. It’s all part of coaching a team, it’s all part of being on a team. You have to get through the adversity and there are some difficult times and you just get through them.”

In the closing seconds of regulation during Monday’s 121-116 overtime loss on the road to the Clippers, Green secured a rebound and, with Durant calling for the ball, instead dribbled the length of the court into traffic and lost control as the Warriors failed to get a shot off. Durant was shown on camera visibly upset immediatel­y afterward.

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