Grizzlies’ Brooks suspended for Game 3 vs. Warriors; Draymond fined for
gesture to Memphis crowd
Memphis Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks will be suspended for Game 3 after his
foul of Gary Payton II injured the Warriors guard, and the NBA also
fined Draymond Green
>MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – MAY 1: Memphis Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks (24)
takes a shot against Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson (11) in the
fourth quarter of Game 1 of the team’s NBA basketball second-round
playoff series at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, May 1,
2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
>MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – MAY 1: Memphis Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks (24)
takes a shot against Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson (11) in the
fourth quarter of Game 1 of the team’s NBA basketball second-round
playoff series at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, May 1,
2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
By ALEX SIMON | asimon@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 5, 2022 at 12:05 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2022 at 1:09 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/05/05/grizzlies-brooks-suspended-for-game-3-warriors-green-fined-for-double-bird-gesture/

Dillon Brooks’ Flagrant 2 foul Monday night on Gary Payton II sidelined
the Golden State guard for multiple weeks.

And while it won’t seem like enough to some Warriors brass, the
Grizzlies wing will be suspended for at least one game.

The NBA suspended Brooks without pay for Saturday’s Game 3 of the
Western Conference semifinals on Thursday morning.

In the league’s press release, president of operations Byron Spruell
said Brooks made “unnecessary and excessive contact” in his foul of
Payton, “resulting in substantial injury to Payton.”

The Warriors announced earlier on Thursday morning that Payton had
sustained ligament and muscle damage in addition to the fracture in his
left elbow and would be out for at least two weeks.

The play had the Warriors fuming both when it occurred and after the
game, with Steve Kerr saying Brooks “broke the code” and Steph Curry
saying it was “out of line.”

Kerr told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami that he believed Brooks should be
suspended for as long as Payton is out with his injury, though Kerr
acknowledged to Kawakami that “it’s not going to work that way.”

But with a one-game suspension, Brooks will be able to return to the
court for Game 4 — even though Payton will have to watch from the sidelines.

- Green fined for gesture at Memphis fans

The NBA also announced that Draymond Green was fined $25,000 for
“directing an obscene gesture toward the spectator stands.”

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Grizzlies

Green held both of his middle fingers in the air at the Grizzlies fans
when he went back to the Warriors locker room in the first quarter on
Tuesday, giving the crowd a double-bird salute.

After the game, Green was not at all remorseful about what he did and
was prepared to be fined.

“You want to boo somebody who got elbowed in the face, blood running
down their face, you should be flipped off,” Green said. “I’ll take the
fine, I’ll do an appearance and make up the money. But it felt really
good to flip them off. You want to boo someone that got elbowed in the
eye and blood running down my face? I could have had a concussion.

“If they’re going to be nasty, I’m going to be nasty too. I’m assuming
the cheers was because they knew I’d be fined. Great. I make $25 million
a year. I should be just fine.”

This story will be updated.

--
Alex Simon