Tensions boiled over between Draymond Green and Domantas Sabonis on Monday night.
The Sacramento Kings, however, still found a way to light the beam and take a huge 2-0 series lead over the Golden State Warriors.
The Kings held on to take a 114-106 win in a contentious Game 2 of their opening-round playoff series with the Warriors at the Golden 1 Center on Monday night. The Warriors haven’t trailed 0-2 in a playoff series since 2007, two years before they even drafted star Stephen Curry out of Davidson.
Draymond Green ejected after stomping on Domantas Sabonis
Green and Sabonis had been going at each other throughout the series, though it was nothing more than just extra physical play until Monday night.
Just before the midway point of the fourth quarter with the Kings up by four, Green and Sabonis got tangled up underneath the hoop while fighting for a rebound. Sabonis looked like he was hit in the face as he fell to the floor before he wrapped his arms around Green’s leg.
As Green started to go the other way, he stepped directly onto Sabonis’ chest — which left the Kings star writhing in pain in the lane.
That prompted a lengthy review while Kings staff tended to Sabonis on the floor, and Green got into it with a big group of Kings fans behind their bench.
Green finished with eight points, five assists and four rebounds.
Sabonis was asked on TNT after the win if he had any animosity about the altercation with Green, but he seemed very unbothered by the whole thing.
“No, you know, we’re both fighting for the rebound,” he said. “We fell on each other. Stuff happens. It’s basketball. We’ve gotta move on next play.”
Though the Warriors had plenty of chances to finally jump back ahead, and Klay Thompson cut the game to a single point with a 3-pointer late, the Kings responded with a 10-2 run in the final minutes to seal the eight point win.
Curry led Golden State with 28 points, but shot just 3-of-13 from behind the arc. Andrew Wiggins, who returned to the starting lineup on Monday night, added 22 points, and Thompson finished with 21 points.
Sabonis led the Kings with 24 points and nine rebounds while shooting 8-of-12 from the field. De’Aaron Fox added 24 points and nine assists.
Game 3 of the series is set for Thursday night in San Francisco.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.