Following a heated discussion with coach Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green left the bench and spent part of Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic alone in the locker room.
The exchange took place midway through the third quarter when Kerr called a timeout after Green had committed a turnover.
‘We had it out a little bit. He made his decision to go back to the locker room to cool off,’ Kerr told ESPN afterward. ‘That’s all I’m going to say about it. Everything is private.’
Trailing by five points at the time, the Warriors went on to a 120-97 win over the Magic.
‘Tempers spilled over, and I thought it was best that I get out of there,’ Green said. ‘I don’t think it was a situation where it was going to get better. It was best to remove myself.’
Green returned to the Golden State bench before the start of the fourth quarter, but never took off his warmups.
Kerr said he never considered putting Green back in the game.
‘He wasn’t going back in. No. He left. He went back to the locker room. We moved forward, and the guys played great,’ Kerr said.
It marked the second consecutive game Green exited early. He was ejected from a home game against Phoenix on Saturday, Dec. 20, after playing only eight minutes.
He tallied nine points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes of action against Orlando.