https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/how-draymond-green-suspension-affects-warriors-game-3-vs-kings

All the ways Draymond's Game 3 suspension hurts Warriors

14H ago
by Dalton Johnson

The officiating crew of Zach Zarba, Courtney Kirkland and Gediminas
Petraitis immediately recognized two people were at fault Monday night
with 7:15 remaining in Game 2 of the first-round Western Conference
playoff matchup between the Warriors and Sacramento Kings.

Kings center Domantas Sabonis was given a technical foul for grabbing
and holding Green's right ankle. Green was hit with a Flagrant 2 for
"stomping too hard" on Sabonis' torso, resulting in an ejection for the
final seven minutes. That alone was tough enough for the Warriors,
playing a major factor in them losing 114-106 and trailing two games to
none in a playoff series for the first time ever since Green, Steph
Curry and Klay Thompson began their postseason careers in 2013.

A little under an hour-and-a-half before midnight on the East Coast, the
league offices shocked many when it was announced Green had been
suspended for Thursday night's Game 3 at Chase Center. The NBA admitted
the one-game suspension is "based in part on Green's history of
unsportsmanlike acts."

Sabonis' medical update was released by the Kings 55 minutes after the
news of Green's suspension. He's listed as questionable for Game 3 with
a sternum contusion.

Golden State already finds itself in an unprecedented place. The
Warriors are the fifth defending champions in NBA history to be down 0-2
in the first round. None of the previous four teams won their series.
Now, the Warriors find themselves with their backs against the wall
without a future Hall of Famer, one of the biggest keys that makes them
go on both sides of the ball.

Which Warrior will be affected most by Green's absence? The answer is
much more than one player.

Mike Brown's historic Kings offense went to work with Green done for the
night in Game 2. Over the final seven minutes, the Kings had a 153
offensive rating. They went 10 of 15 from the field, good for a 66.7
field-goal percentage.

Offensively, Steve Kerr now has to find another initiator. Curry (six)
and Green (five) combined to have 11 of the Warriors' 18 assists. But
they also handed out 10 of the Warriors' 20 turnovers.

Kevon Looney is a great passing big man but won't be on the floor for
much more than 20 minutes. Some of the distributing responsibilities
could fall on Donte DiVincenzo, but he was a game-low minus-13 in 13
minutes off the bench with two turnovers, one assist and no points as he
didn't attempt a single shot. Jordan Poole should be a playmaker Kerr
can turn to off the bench or even start in Green's place if the coach is
looking for an offensive spark right away.

Poole for reasons offensively and defensively hasn't been reliable
through the first two games of the series. He was 1 of 7 from the field
in the Warriors' Game 2 loss, and sat the entire fourth quarter. Poole
also is playing through an ankle injury that apparently is worse than
the outside knew.

"Jordan is playing with like half a foot right now," Thompson said after
Monday night's loss.

The chess match between Kerr and Brown deserves the intrigue it
received. Brown's six years as an assistant with the Warriors also is
shining through with his knowledge of the Warriors' system, especially
their motion-heavy actions. Sacramento has been all over them, and
hunted each one in Game 2.

During the third quarter on Monday, Curry wasn't able to get a shot off
until the 3:28 mark. The Kings were up by 12 at that point in the game.
That was the only shot Curry took the entire quarter. Curry did lead the
Warriors with 28 points, but didn't have an efficient night from deep.

He was a lowly 3-of-13 shooting 3-pointers.

"I don't know, we have to figure that out," Green said Monday when asked
getting Curry better looks. "That's something that we need to go watch
on the film, try to figure out how we can release the pressure some --
what other guys can do behind the play when he does get off the ball.

"We'll figure it out over the next couple of days."

Without Green, Curry might have to play more of a pure point guard role
and get others involved. The reality is, he also has to be selfish. The
Warriors won't survive without the ball in his hands. They ran 28
pick-and-rolls with Curry in Game 1 and 40 in Game 2, per The Ringer's
Kevin O'Connor, and the number should see another increase in Game 3.
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The player whose opportunity is bound to grow most is one whose chances
have diminished most the past two games. After averaging 24.1 minutes
per game while Andrew Wiggins was away from the Warriors for two months,
Jonathan Kuminga has played a total of 13 minutes and 41 seconds in this
first-round series. He saw a little under 10 minutes of action in Game 1
and not even four minutes in Game 2. The results haven't been great,
either.

Kuminga started the second quarter of Game 2 after watching the first
quarter from the bench. In a span of three minutes and 56 seconds, the
Kings went on a 16-6 run with Kuminga on the court and went ahead by
four points. He never came off the bench again.

Ideally, Kuminga's athleticism and defensive urgency can let him be an
issue for the Kings at the four and playing a small-ball five. There are
numerous ways Kuminga makes us forget he still is only 20 years old.
Through the first two games, he's reminding us of his youth and had the
worst defensive rating of any Warrior in their latest loss.

Though he hasn't been given long stretches of playing time, Kuminga has
one rebound in the series and two against the Kings in six games this
season. He should be more comfortable at home, and the Warriors will
need him now more than ever.

Among a handful of other players.

This will be a true kitchen-sink situation with the Warriors' season on
the line. Kerr played 11 Warriors in the second quarter of Game 2, and
the Warriors were outscored 41-29. Kuminga and DiVincenzo were both a
minus-10 in the quarter. JaMychal Green was even given 50 seconds of
play, and Moses Moody played eight-and-a-half minutes overall in the loss.

And yes, Anthony Lamb might get some run too as an extra body who stands
6-foot-6, 227 pounds and at the very least will provide energy.

Perhaps Kerr puts DiVincenzo back in the starting lineup. Kuminga could
step in there, too. Poole remains a possibility, and the Warriors could
throw a wrench at De'Aaron Fox and the Kings by inserting Gary Payton II
into the first five.

Since being drafted in 2012, the Warriors have a 69.4 winning percentage
(102-45) in the playoffs with Green. The one other time he has been
suspended for a playoff game, it led to the 73-win Warriors blowing a
three-games-to-one lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.

Seven years later, Green again is suspended, with grey clouds
surrounding his future as a Warrior and the fate of a dynasty in serious
danger. Players young and old, star players and those in reserve will
have to form a group effort to stave off the Kings and keep the
Warriors' season alive.