NBA
Will Draymond Green’s incident with Domantas Sabonis end the Warriors’ Dynasty?
The Golden State Warriors have a daunting task at hand tonight in Game 3 of their opening-round series vs the Sacramento Kings. Veteran PF Draymond Green was ejected in the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Monday night for stepping on the chest of Domantas Sabonis after the Kings’ PF was holding onto his leg. After looking further into the incident, the league announced that Green is suspended tonight for Game 3.ย
Golden State is in unfamiliar territory tonight as they are down 0-2 in the first round to a team that many did not pick to win. The Warriors won their fourth NBA title in nine seasons last year, but 2022-23 was much different. They ended with an 11-30 record on the road this season and those struggles have carried into the postseason.
Luckily, the Warriors will be back home tonight for Game 3, but they will be without the services of Draymond Green. California Sports Betting sites have the Warriors at (-245) to win at home tonight vs the Kings.
Golden State are now down 2-0 in their Round 1 matchup against the Kings.
The Warriors had gone 27 straight playoff series without trailing 2-0, the longest in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/O1wXQFdCMS
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 18, 2023
Will the Warriors be able to take care of business tonight at home vs the Kings?
Twenty-seven straight playoff series without being down 2-0 speaks to the dominance of the Golden State Warriors in the last decade. However, the Sacramento Kings ended that streak on Monday night winning Game 2 at home and taking a 2-0 series lead on the Warriors in the first round. Golden State will have their backs against the walls tonight at home but don’t expect Steph Curry to shy away from a tough challenge.
Draymond Green is the only player in the last 10 seasons to be suspended multiple times in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/suPG0BOafo
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 19, 2023
An 0-2 deficiency is not the end of the world for the Warriors, but they will also need to win four of the next five to advance to Round 2. Steve Kerr has a number of options off the bench that he could insert into the lineup tonight for Draymond Green. He could play small with Jordan Poole or Gary Payton II or could take the more traditional route by playing Jonathan Kuminga.