Another game, another ejection.
We’re two games into the Warriors-Grizzles Western Conference Semifinals and it’s already beyond bonkers. Following Draymond Green’s early exit in Game 1, Memphis’ Dillon Brooks received a Flagrant 2 foul and subsequent hook not three minutes into his team’s Game 2 106-101 series-evening victory.
As Warriors G Gary Payton II attempted a shot, Brooks tried to swat the ball from behind, but wound up hitting Payton’s head. Payton fell to the floor and hurt his elbow in the process, missing the remainder of the contest. Early reports say it’s a fractured left elbow, but an MRI Wednesday will reveal the exact damage.
“That wasn’t physical; that was dirty,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said during an in-game interview.
“The line is pretty clear. You don’t hit a guy when he’s in mid-air, club him, and break his elbow. That’s where the line is,” he added after the game.
Moments after Payton’s injury, Green headed to the locker room—pumping double middle fingers, of course—with a bloody face courtesy of the Grizzlies’ Xavier Tillman. No foul was called, and he returned for the second stanza.
Buckle up. Game 3 is set for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. in California.
