In what has become one of the NBA Playoffs’ most combative first-round matchups, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets saw tensions explode in Game 4 — and unsurprisingly, Draymond Green was at the center of it.

At the 2:44 mark of the second quarter, with Houston clinging to a 47-46 lead, Green dove onto Rockets forward Tari Eason, his legs making contact with Eason’s head and back. As Eason stood up in protest, Green latched onto him, grabbing his jersey and sparking yet another heated scuffle. The play was reviewed, and Green was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for unnecessary contact. Eason was given a technical for his reaction.

This incident was just the boiling point of what had been building across multiple games.

Earlier in the second quarter, with around seven minutes left, Green set a hard screen on Amen Thompson, throwing an elbow. Moments later, Stephen Curry was knocked to the floor by Rockets guard Dillon Brooks, who then tried to grab the ball as Green moved to help his teammate.

The results: another melee. Curry, Green, and Brooks all received technical fouls.

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But these altercations didn’t come out of nowhere. The animosity between the two squads has been brewing for weeks. During the final regular-season meeting, Green received a technical and a flagrant foul for hitting Rockets center Alperen Sengun twice. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was seen yelling at Curry as both teams exited at halftime.

While Game 1 of the series was a relatively calm 95–85 Warriors win in Houston, things quickly turned chippy in Game 2. That game featured three technicals per team, a flagrant on Jalen Green for hitting Draymond, and a scuffle in which Tari Eason threw a towel at Warriors guard Pat Spencer.

Despite the mounting drama, Green was not ejected in Game 4 and remained in the contest. The league has not yet announced if further disciplinary actions will be taken.

With the series heating up both physically and emotionally, all eyes will be on how players, especially Green, manage their intensity as the battle continues.