By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels started a fight, less than two minutes after the tipoff of the game between the Warriors and the Timberwolves, Rudy Gobert tried to calm things down, but ultimately he was put on a headlock by Draymont Green.
Thompson, Green and McDaniels were ejected and the French big man accused Green of wanting to be ejected because Steph Curry wasn’t playing due to injury.
“Clown behaviour”, said Gobert after the game, “every time Steph doesn’t play, (Green) doesn’t want to play without his guy Steph, so he does anything he can to get ejected. I was expecting him to do so”.
Minnesota beat Golden State 104-101 but the scuffle overshadowed everything else.
“I was just trying to crash for a rebound and (Thompson) kind of grabbed my collar. I was just trying to defend myself and get him off me,” McDaniels said. “The rest is what it is. I knew before that there was some chitter-chatter going back and forth. I didn’t take it seriously. I was just laughing. I guess it was a bigger deal to him.”
As other players rushed toward the two, Green put Gobert in a headlock. Coaches and players forced Green off Gobert as others separated McDaniels and Thompson. After a review, McDaniels and Thompson were assessed two technical fouls each and Green was given a flagrant foul 2.
“My first thought was just, ‘I’m not going to fight. I need to be in this game to help my team,'” Gobert said. “I just showed the ref that I had my hands up, and I just waited until the situation was over. Nothing more than that. It wasn’t a good enough choke to put me to sleep.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Thompson should not have been ejected and tried to justify Green’s behavior.
“There is no way Klay should have been ejected. That was ridiculous,” he said. “I was upset about that. As far as the Draymond piece of it, Rudy had his hands on Klay’s neck. That’s why Draymond went after Rudy.”
This happened in less than two minutes of playpic.twitter.com/ykpdCzLUp9
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) November 15, 2023