Draymond Green just can't stay out of his own way. The Golden State Warriors star was issued a flagrant-2 foul and automatic ejection from Tuesday's matchup with the Phoenix Suns after hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the face.
The incident took place midway through the third quarter, while Green and Nurkic hand-fought while waiting for the Warriors to inbound the ball from the sideline. As Nurkic grabbed around the right side of Green's waist, the Warriors' veteran wildly swung his right arm back the other way, making square contact with Nurkic's face.
The play warranted an immediate review from the officials. After a relatively brief video review and discussion among referees, Green's maximum punishment was announced, to the surprise of no one at Footprint Center nor anyone watching at home. That ostensibly includes Green, who forewent his usual theatrics in wake of ejections for a brisk run back to the locker room. Maybe that count as progress?
Tuesday's game marks the third time Green has been ejected over the first 22 games of the regular season. He's racked up four flagrant foul penalty points so far, one away from an automatic suspension. Don't be surprised if the league takes more direct action against Green for yet another unsportsmanlike act, though, just as Adam Silver and company did while banning him for five games last month for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.
Either way, Draymond Green's history essentially guarantees he'll be suspended once again as the season wears on.