Draymond Green had a heated confrontation with referee Lauren Holtkamp in Tuesday night’s loss to the Thunder. Green has since been fined $50K for his comments towards Holtkamp during the game.
The latest edition of the Warriors’ rivalry with the Thunder got incredibly chippy, and it was poorly refereed all night.
Draymond Green got his first technical foul after a he got an elbow in the face from Russell Westbrook as they both met at the rim. Green immediately moved towards Holtkamp, and he had some very strong words coming out of his mouth that was covered in blood after the collision.
Video surfaced of Green calling Holtkamp a “f—ing b—-“, and that caused the NBA to hit him with a hefty fine.
More from Blue Man Hoop
- 3x champion may come to regret forgoing Golden State Warriors reunion
- Golden State Warriors: History shows USA may need Stephen Curry for more than the Olympics
- 7 players Golden State Warriors might replace Klay Thompson with by the trade deadline
- Golden State Warriors villain pours on more pain to end USA’s World Cup
- Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry continues philanthropic efforts off the court
Holtkamp doesn’t have a great reputation around the league and Green is not the first player to criticize her, but you can’t act like that around any NBA referee without getting fined. Green’s reputation as being a problem for referees probably weighed in on the league’s decision on how much to fine him.
Draymond received a second technical foul later in the game for simply tossing a ball towards a referee after he was called for a personal foul. There’s no doubt that Green’s actions towards Holtkamp in the first half played a role in him getting tossed from the game.
Draymond is leading the league with 13 technical fouls this season, and he would receive a one-game suspension if he hits 16 technicals. Green is never going to play with less intensity, but he needs to be a bit more restrained in arguing with the referees moving forward or there will be serious consequences.