Warriors Rally Past Suns After Green Ejection to Halt Skid

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors finally steadied themselves Friday night, holding off the Phoenix Suns 119–116 to snap a three-game losing streak at Chase Center. The victory did not come easily, nor did it follow a familiar script, as Golden State was forced to regroup after losing its defensive anchor early.

Draymond Green was ejected midway through the second quarter after receiving two technical fouls in rapid succession, leaving the Warriors without one of their emotional and organizational leaders for most of the night. The dismissal added volatility to an already tense matchup between two teams that had clashed just days earlier.

Instead of unraveling, Golden State responded with urgency and balance. Role players stepped forward, the rotation stretched deeper than usual, and the Warriors leaned on composure late after several recent fourth-quarter disappointments.

By the final buzzer, the win felt less like a clean breakthrough and more like a hard-earned recalibration — one forged through adversity, frustration, and a renewed sense of collective resolve.

1. Green’s Ejection Sparks Controversy

Green’s night ended abruptly early in the second quarter following a heated sequence with Suns guard Collin Gillespie. After blocking Gillespie’s shot, Green exchanged words with him up the floor, then ran through Gillespie as Stephen Curry knocked down a three-pointer. Official Pat Fraher assessed Green his first technical foul for the contact. Moments later, Green reacted by mimicking the referee’s signal and continuing to argue as he walked toward the bench. As he followed Fraher toward the scorer’s table, still protesting, he was issued a second technical, resulting in an automatic ejection. The entire exchange unfolded in roughly 30 seconds of real time, leaving the Warriors stunned and scrambling. Moses Moody attempted to pull Green away, but the officials had already made their decision. After the game, head coach Steve Kerr voiced strong disagreement with the ruling, saying Green deserved one technical but not two. Kerr argued the punishment was inconsistent with how recent incidents involving the Suns had been handled.

2. Kerr Points to Brooks Incident

Kerr’s frustration centered on a play from the previous Warriors-Suns meeting involving Phoenix wing Dillon Brooks. Late in that game, Brooks struck Curry in the midsection after a three-point attempt, sending the Warriors star to the floor. Officials ruled the contact a flagrant foul penalty one, allowing Brooks to remain in the game. The NBA later upheld that decision in its Last Two Minute report, and Brooks was neither fined nor suspended. Kerr said the Warriors reached out to the league for clarification but declined to share its explanation publicly. He made clear, however, that the lack of further discipline angered him. Referencing Brooks’ past incidents against Golden State — including a playoff play that resulted in Gary Payton II breaking his elbow — Kerr questioned the league’s standards for player safety and enforcement. To him, the contrast between Green’s ejection for words and Brooks’ lack of harsher punishment for contact was difficult to reconcile.

3. Depth Tested, Bench Responds

Green’s exit forced the Warriors to rethink their approach, particularly on defense. Curry later said the moment served as a wake-up call, pushing the group to dig deeper into the rotation and play with added toughness. That depth was most evident in rookie Will Richard, who had not played in Golden State’s previous three games. Inserted into the rotation, Richard delivered a breakout performance with 20 points off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range. Richard effectively took minutes from Buddy Hield, whose offense has cooled in recent games, and provided immediate spacing and energy. His confidence shifted momentum and helped stabilize Golden State during key stretches. The performance offered Kerr a potential new option moving forward, particularly as the Warriors search for consistent contributions beyond their stars.