Green’s untimely ejection gives Lakers a green light to victory
SAN FRANCISCO >> As Warriors forward Draymond Green walked off the court, he made sure the officiating staff could still hear him.
Midway through the second quarter of the Warriors’ 116-86 loss to the Lakers late Thursday at Chase Center, Green was called for his fourth foul when he was knocked over by Dwight Howard on a screen.
He unleashed a verbal assault on a pair of officials — first at Marat Kogut and then at Tyler Ford — and was promptly ejected from the game. The obscenities continued as he disappeared into the team tunnel. That episode brought chuckles from the Lakers’ LeBron James.
Even when the Warriors (12-47) aren’t playing for much more than lottery position, losing eight straight games has the team frustrated. Without Green, Golden State unraveled in a decisive third quarter.
“We needed him in the second half,” coach Steve Kerr of Green. “We missed him out there.”
Down by only two at halftime, the Warriors gave up a nine-point lead to start the third, and forward Marquese Chriss earned a technical foul of his own when he argued an offensive foul with crew chief Ken Mauer.
Moments later, the Lakers used an 11-0 run, capped off by forward Kyle Kuzma’s transition dunk, to take a 21-point lead.
In all, Golden State was outscored 40-17 in the third quarter, as the Lakers made 16 of 23 shots while the Warriors missed 13 of their 19 shots and committed seven turnovers.
Though the Warriors were without forward Andrew Wiggins, acquired in a trade with the Timberwolves earlier this month, the Lakers were without forward James (groin). James’ absence might have presented an opportunity for this makeshift roster.
There were some encouraging performances. Rookie forward Eric Paschall had 23 points on 7-for-14 shooting, while Jordan Poole finished with 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting and eight assists in 30 minutes.
An improvement in the mood of the team might be on the way; Stephen Curry is expected to return as soon as Sunday, when the Warriors face the Wizards at Chase Center.
• With the ejection, Green is up to 14 techs this season. Two more, and he earns a suspension.
• In his first game since signing a 10-day contract with the Warriors on Thursday, guard Mychal Mulder did little to impress in the first 22 minutes of his NBA career.
The 25-year-old from Windsor, Ontario, who spent the past three seasons in the G League, finished with two points on 1-for-6 shooting and, more notably, missed all five of his 3-point attempts.
• In the final minutes of this 30-point loss, Ky Bowman rolled his ankle on a layup attempt. After falling to the court in obvious pain, his teammates helped carry him off into the locker room.
“It’s not going to be a day-to-day thing,” Kerr said. “He’s going to be out a little bit.”
Bowman will not make the team’s trip to Phoenix for today’s game, and was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Friday.
• Not that there was any doubt this would be the case, but Thursday’s loss makes it mathematically official: The Warriors have protected the first-round pick traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the D’Angelo Russell sign-and-trade deal. They will instead convey their 2025 second-round pick.