There was a tangible lack of energy in the building at Chase Center on Tuesday night. For better or (mostly) worse, Draymond Green offered some late in the second quarter.
Green gave Brandon Ingram a clear shoulder as Ingram drove to the rim with 3:44 left in the quarter. Ingram stumbled out of bounds as Green walked away, but the Pelicans forward came back around to say something to Green.
Both Ingram and Green were given technical fouls by referee Ed Malloy, with Green yelling, “How!” for about a minute.
After review, Green was assessed a flagrant 1 foul, and Ingram hit a pair of free throws.
On the other end, Green drove to the rim and went through the chest of Herb Jones for a charge.
Both got tangled up at the end of the play, with tempers flaring further. Green jawed with Ingram for a while, clapping during most of the review.
A lengthy review assessed an offensive foul on Green and nothing else.
It looked like that energy was going to continue, but to the dismay of Green, Steve Kerr pulled him after picking up his third foul. Green was hiking up his shorts, lined up next to Jones, who pointed out that he was getting subbed for Jonathan Kuminga.
Green looked furious with Kerr for pulling him, appearing to say, “No, it’s ok!” as he headed to the bench.
The Warriors proceeded to fall apart without him in the game, going from an 11-point deficit to as much as a 20-point deficit.
Golden State went into the half trailing the Pelicans 60-43 courtesy of a late Steph Curry 3-pointer. It’s been a brutal performance in a game they almost certainly will need to win if they want to avoid the play-in tournament.