Warriors drop physical Game 2 to Kings as Fox takes over late following
Green ejection
The first-round series will shift to San Francisco, with the Warriors
trailing 2-0 for the first time in 28 series.
>Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) defends against Sacramento
Kings’ Malik Monk (0) in the third quarter of Game 2 of the Western
Conference First Round playoffs, at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento,
Calif., on Monday, April 17, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 17, 2023 at 9:50 p.m. | UPDATED: April 18, 2023 at 7:28
a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/04/17/draymond-green-ejected-warriors-drop-game-2-against-kings/

SACRAMENTO — Kings coach Mike Brown projected Game 2 would be a “dog
fight” after Sacramento stole the series opener.

He was right.

A physical night at the office ended with the Kings defeating the
Warriors 114-106. That allowed Sacramento to become the first team to
take a 2-0 series lead over Golden State since Steve Kerr has been head
coach as Sacramento lit its bright purple victory beam into the night
sky for the second time in two days.

Golden State had to play the final 7:03 without its defensive anchor,
Draymond Green, who was tossed from the game after getting entangled
with Domantas Sabonis.

With the Kings up by four in the fourth, Sabonis pulled on Green’s leg,
which resulted in the Warriors star stepping down on the Sacramento
big’s rib cage.

During the review of the play, fans booed Green, who egged them on by
waving his hands and holding a hand to his ear to encourage them to
cheer louder.

Green was ultimately assessed a Flagrant 2 because officials told him he
stomped “too hard” on Sabonis, who was assessed a technical foul for
yanking on Green’s leg.

“My leg got grabbed,” Green said. “Second time in two nights. Referees
just watch it. I’ve got to land my foot somewhere. I’m not the most
flexible person, so it’s not stretching that far… I can only step so far.”

Sabonis played out the game, finishing with 24 points, but had a
precautionary X-ray Monday night. The post-game scan reportedly came
back negative.

Green said he hit the weight room after being sent in for the night and
caught glimpses of the final six or so minutes of the game. The Warriors
managed to tie the game twice but never took a lead.

Green gave Fox credit for seizing late-game opportunities. The
25-year-old guard, who was named a finalist for the NBA’s first-ever
Clutch Player of the Year award, scored 11 of his 24 points in the fourth.

Green cited the Warriors’ defense as being the main reason the team
failed to close out the first two games of the series, having lost by
three points just two nights prior.

“I don’t think it’s a scoring issue, we’ve scored down the stretch, we
just haven’t gotten stops,” he said.

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Curry led the Warriors with 28 points, but he went 3-for-13 from deep.
The Kings did a good job pressuring Curry and not allowing the Warriors
to find rhythm on offense. Golden State tallied 22 turnovers.

Defending without fouling and limiting turnovers — both issues that
troubled the Warriors in the regular season — are areas Golden State
will need to hone in on as it tries to dig itself out of a 2-0 hole.

Kerr remains confident his squad will get it together and bounce back,
with the series shifting to San Francisco for Games 3 and 4.

“We have to play better, but we will play better,” Kerr said. “These
guys are champions, you saw what they did in a really difficult
situation with a lot of foul trouble, ejection, the way our guys fought,
they showed what they’re made of.

“Now it’s a matter of going home, and licking our wounds a little bit…
and we go home and take care of our home court.”

--
Madeline Kenney | Warriors reporter
Madeline Kenney is the Bay Area News Group's Golden State Warriors beat
reporter for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. A Nebraska native, she
is graduate of Loyola University of Chicago. She holds a Bachelor in
Communication degree, with a major in broadcast journalism and minors in
sports management and marketing, and is a friend of Sister Jean, the
103-year-old nun who became famous during the Ramblers’ 2018 run to the
Final Four, Madeline previously worked for the Chicago Sun-Times
covering everything from sports to crime and politics. When she’s not
working, she enjoys trying new restaurants and exploring the great outdoors.