Less than two minutes into Tuesday night’s Warriors-Timberwolves matchup, Klay Thompson, Jaden McDaniels and Draymond Green got ejected.
Players had to be separated after Thompson and McDaniels got tangled up near midcourt. McDaniels and Thompson each appeared to try to throw each other to the ground. Once a scrum of bodies assembled, Green came flying in and wrapped his arm around center Rudy Gobert’s neck.
Maybe it was the In-Season Tournament intensity, or the familiarity with these teams having just played on Sunday, but the competitive juices overflowed.
Coaches from both teams defused the situation on the court. Gobert received brief medical attention by the visitor’s bench.
Thompson and McDaniels were assessed technical fouls and kicked out of the game. Green earned a Flagrant 2, which carries an automatic ejection. It was Green’s 19th ejection of his career, and second of the past three games.
Chants of “Ref, you suck!” rained down from the Chase Center stands as Thompson and Green left the court with 10:17 to play in the first quarter.
The Warriors began the game without Stephen Curry, who has a knee injury. The Warriors have lost their past three games entering Tuesday.