The NBA fined Houston Rocket Gerald Green $25k for pushing Gorgui Dieng during a Sunday night win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, teammate Chris Paul said he would take care of the bill for Green, who was standing up for Paul during in the altercation.
Following from ESPN
“He didn’t push me that hard,” Paul said after Sunday’s victory, according to the Houston Chronicle. “It was more so unexpected. I told [Green] I appreciate it, and I’ll cover whatever fine.”
The incident started with Dieng shoving Paul in the fourth quarter of a game that was beginning to get out of reach for the Timberwolves. Green, who joined the team in December on a 10-day contract and earned a deal for the rest of the season, shoved Dieng into the stands in retaliation.
Gerald Green has been ejected after this late shove on Gorgui Dieng
(via @clippittv) pic.twitter.com/vYsScUL70p
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) March 19, 2018
The altercation caused players from both teams to come together in a heated exchange before Green was ejected from the game.
Green commented after the game that he was only trying to stand up for his teammate. The 32-year-old was apologetic and was not interested in furthering the situation.
“I’m just trying to be there for my teammate,” Green said after the game. “I saw something happen and I reacted. I paid the consequences for it. I learned my lesson, got ejected, try not to do that again.”
Green, in 21 minutes per game with the Rockets this season, averages 11.8 points and shoots 37.7 percent from three on nearly seven attempts per game. Green has seemed to fit right in with the Rockets offense, and he knows how useful he can be for the number one seed in the Western Conference.
“A lot of guys are trying to run me off the 3s; if I can try to get easy ones, get me in a rhythm early on, I’ll be better off to try to knock down shots consistently,” Green told the Houston Chronicle. I just have to try not to get ejected from the game.”
