During Tuesday night's game against the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected for hitting center Jusuf Nurkic in the face with a swing of his arm. The incident occurred in the early minutes of the third quarter as Green and Nurkic were jostling for position. Green unexpectedly turned and struck Nurkic on the side of the head, causing the 7-foot center to collapse to the floor. The referees promptly called for a review, and after a brief examination, Green was handed a Flagrant 2, resulting in an automatic ejection.
Kane Fitzgerald, the NBA's VP of Referee Operations, commented on the broadcast, stating, "This one checks all the boxes. You have windup, impact, and follow-through above the shoulders to the face there with that open-hand swing and slap to the head. Clearly unnecessary and excessive. They got all the officials to look at it; all three have to agree for an ejection, and a flagrant foul penalty 2 was indicated."
