Last night in Oakland, California, the Golden State Warriors put on another show and rallied from an 18-point deficit to steal a 120-117 victory over the Washington Wizards. Though both teams fought hard and performed admirably, it was the extra off-court stuff that got the most attention, primarily a physical altercation that ensued between Warriors forward Draymond Green and Wizards guard Bradley Beal.
Draymond Green and Bradley Beal both ejected for their role in this fight. pic.twitter.com/gy6KP4A52o
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) October 28, 2017
Both players were ejected: Green because it was his second technical foul of the evening and Beal for sparking the scuffle with a hit to Green’s face.
This Bradley Beal hit to the face of Draymond Green appears to have sparked the confrontation. pic.twitter.com/4V4oDHKeox
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) October 28, 2017
Down 14 at the time of the mix-up, the fight gave the Warriors the extra edge they were lacking to go on a 2nd half run and overcome a scrappy Wizards team that fought till the last whistle. With the Wizards consistently voicing their frustrations about being overlooked and the Warriors being the perennial powerhouse they are, it wasn’t unexpected to see frustrations boil over in this one and that’s exactly what we got.
Green voiced his displeasure with the refs and his ejection after the game, citing his history with the league’s front office as to why he was tossed. Following from ESPN’s Chris Haynes:
An irate Draymond Green to ESPN regarding the altercation with Bradley Beal. pic.twitter.com/suxTIyRz1M
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 28, 2017
After an altercation of this magnitude between two high-profile teams, we should fully expect the NBA to levy down a handful of suspensions. Beal will likely see one due to him instigating the altercation to a physical level while Green may also be forced to sit out a game due to his retaliation and as he pointed out, his long history won’t do him any favors either.
The discipline likely won’t stop there though. The inactive Markieff Morris also cleared his spot on the bench to join in on the action, something the NBA has already shown to be intolerable with the suspension of Blazers’ C.J. McCollum just earlier this month. Morris is still battling back from a sports hernia surgery but now will likely have to sit out a game or two upon his return to full health anyway.
But the biggest looming penalty could be in place for Wizards wing Kelly Oubre Jr. Though not a main focus in the scuffle, Oubre senselessly thrust himself into the middle of the altercation and was seen throwing at least a few punches in the scrum behind the basket.
Kelly Oubre landed a hit on Klay Thompson? ? pic.twitter.com/8nBeXiV4jn
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) October 28, 2017
Klay Thompson tells ESPN that Kelly Oubre Jr. apologized to him for what he described as a “graze to my face.”
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 28, 2017
We should expect to be informed about any possible disciplinary actions by the league office sometime in the coming days. The Warriors have had to play without Draymond in the past but this will be a tougher task for Washington. Already without Morris, possibly losing Oubre for a period would make their forward corps paper thin.
