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Draymond Green is in mid-season form.
The NBA season kicked off Tuesday night and Green’s Golden State Warriors headed south to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers.
Green got the start, but was replaced by Al Horford with 5:40 left in the first quarter. While on the bench, the referees missed a Lakers basket interference violation, which Green was rather colorful about.
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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. (William Liang/Imagn Images)
Well, referee Ed Malloy wasn’t having it and gave Green the T.
It was Green’s 132nd technical of all time, which is only the 20th in NBA history. Karl Malone is the all-time leader, with 200 more technicians than Green.
Green committed 18 technical fouls last season, the third most in the league behind Anthony Edwards and Dillon Brooks. Sixteen technical fouls result in an automatic one-match suspension. He led the league with 21 in 2022-23, was second with 18 the year before and fourth in 2020-21 with 15.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) fight for the ball during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. (William Liang/Imagn Images)
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Green has finished in the top 10 in technical fouls leaders every season except one since the 2014-15 campaign, leading the league three times.
Despite early issues, Green did his classic job, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out nine assists, tying a plus-20 rushing record with Jimmy Butler.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts in the second quarter during Game 2 of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)
Five of Green’s eight points came in the fourth quarter, while he also had two blocks and two assists in the final period. It was a 119-109 victory for the Warriors against an injury-riddled Lakers team currently without LeBron James, who is set to begin his record-breaking 23rd NBA season in the coming weeks.
