Draymond Green found himself at the center of controversy once again Thursday night, this time during the Golden State Warriors’ road matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. With just under seven minutes left in a tight game, Green delivered a clear elbow to the chest of Mavericks big man Dwight Powell as Powell ran past him after setting a screen. The contact was ruled a flagrant foul 1 on the spot, and Green’s reaction to the call only added fuel to the fire.
“What are you gonna do about it?” Green repeatedly asked the officials after the whistle, confronting them in a heated exchange that quickly drew attention.
At the time of the foul, the Warriors trailed by just a point, 102-101. But the momentum shifted sharply after the incident.
Powell calmly knocked down both free throws, stretching the lead to three. From there, Dallas went on an 11-0 run, ballooning the score to 113-101 and effectively putting the game out of reach.
The Mavericks eventually closed it out with a 123-115 win.
Green’s night statistically was quiet: just four points in 23 minutes on 1-of-5 shooting. He added five assists, four rebounds, and two steals, but his impact was overshadowed by the flagrant and the fallout. It’s the kind of moment that’s become all too familiar in Green’s career-one that raises eyebrows and shifts the conversation away from basketball.
Stephen Curry, meanwhile, did everything he could to keep the Warriors in it. The two-time MVP poured in 38 points on 14-of-27 shooting, including a scorching seven three-pointers in the fourth quarter alone.
He hit eight total from deep, once again showing why he’s one of the most dangerous closers in the league. But even Curry’s heroics weren’t enough to overcome the late-game surge from Dallas.
The loss dropped Golden State to 25-21 on the season and marked their 14th defeat on the road. For Dallas, the win was a much-needed boost, improving their record to 19-26.
What makes this latest incident with Green even more notable is the timing. Just hours before tip-off, Green addressed his reputation on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show.
While discussing physical play in the league, he took aim at European players, saying, “I’ve played against a bunch of Europeans. They do little dirty stuff.
People get mad at me and be like, ‘Ah, Draymond dirty.’ I told y’all, Draymond not dirty.
Draymond will f*** you up. I’m not dirty.
I don’t do dirty things. There’s not a player in the NBA who can tell you Draymond is a dirty player.”
That statement, bold as it was, didn’t age well-especially not after the elbow to Powell, which looked anything but clean.
Green’s history with on-court discipline is well-documented. He was suspended five games earlier this season for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold during a November altercation. And of course, fans haven’t forgotten the infamous low blow to LeBron James in the 2016 NBA Finals, which led to a suspension in a pivotal Game 5.
For a player who brings so much to the table-defensive IQ, playmaking, leadership-these moments continue to cast a shadow over his contributions. The Warriors have long lived with the good and the bad when it comes to Draymond, but as the season wears on and playoff positioning tightens, they’ll need more of the former and a lot less of the latter.