Draymond Green will never be accused of being a player who lacks intensity, which has both benefitted his game and worked against him over the course of his career. On Tuesday (November 15), that same passion took a serious left turn after Green applied a chokehold straight from the mixed martial arts handbook on Rudy Gobert during a scuffle.
The Golden State Warriors hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves for an In-Season Tournament showdown in the Western Conference that got off to a rocky start early. The entire game unfolded into chaos after Warriors star Klay Thompson was tussling with Timberwolves Jaden McDaniels and the two grabbed each other’s jerseys on the way down to the court during a transition play.
The two swung each other around and both teams saw their benches emptied in an attempt to split them apart. Rudy Gobert tried to play a peacemaker role, prompting Draymond Green to leap into action and apply a vicious chokehold and grimacing as he applied pressure to the center’s neck.
From there, it was an all-out melee of bodies on the court with Thompson, McDaniels, and Green all being sent to the locker room. Thompson protested his ejection and Green was later assessed for a flagrant foul 2 for choking Gobert. The NBA saw no fault in Gobert, who was clearly trying to end the scuffle.
This is the 18th ejection for Green over the course of his career, leading all active players in that category. Further, it appears that these ejections happen more often when Stephen Curry isn’t playing. The sharpshooter sat out the game due to knee soreness.
After the game, Gobert called Green’s actions “clown behavior” and noted that the point forward often has trouble staying in games when Curry is out.
Across NBA Twitter, fans are discussing how many games Draymond Green should be suspended for putting the choke on Rudy Gobert. Check out those reactions below.
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Photo: Getty
