Green, Booker ejected
A late confrontation in Golden State vs. Phoenix led to ejections for Draymond Green and Devin Booker, drawing heavy online reaction. (x.com) The incident was a major talking point alongside the game’s highlight packages. (youtube.com)
Draymond Green and Devin Booker were ejected with 1:06 left Friday night after a late exchange in Phoenix’s 111-96 play-in win over Golden State ended with both players assessed technical fouls. (nba.com, espn.com) The game ended Golden State’s season and sent Phoenix into the Western Conference playoffs as the No. 8 seed. The Suns open their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, April 19. (apnews.com, espn.com) Jalen Green scored 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting and hit 8 of 14 from 3-point range for Phoenix. Devin Booker finished with 20 points, Jordan Goodwin had 19 points and six steals, and Brandin Podziemski led Golden State with 23 while Stephen Curry shot 4 of 16 and scored 17. (apnews.com, espn.com) Phoenix took control early with a 33-15 first quarter, led by 16 with 5:12 left in the third, and answered Curry’s fourth-quarter 3-pointer with seven straight points. The Suns had lost their previous play-in game to Portland after blowing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead, so Friday’s close was the one they needed. (nba.com, espn.com) The ejections landed at the end of a game that carried season-ending stakes for Golden State and playoff stakes for Phoenix. Under the play-in format the loser was done, and the winner moved straight into a series with the defending champion Thunder. (nba.com, nbcsports.com) For Phoenix, the win also shut down a bad bit of history. The Suns avoided becoming the first team to lose both home games in the play-in tournament since the current format began in 2021. (nba.com, espn.com) Green’s ejection became the last image of Golden State’s night, but the bigger problem was Phoenix’s defense and Golden State’s shooting. The Warriors opened 1 for 9 from 3-point range in the first quarter and never fully recovered from the early hole. (nba.com, espn.com) Booker and Green kept talking after the foul sequence, and officials eventually tossed both players before the final minute ran out. By then, the result was settled: Phoenix moved on, and Golden State walked off with its season over. (nba.com, espn.com)
