Woj: Domantas Sabonis Avoids Injury After Warriors' Draymond Green Stepped on Him
Sacramento Kings All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis reportedly avoided injury after getting stepped on by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during an altercation in the Kings' win over the Dubs in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on Monday.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, X-rays on Sabonis' sternum were negative, although the Kings will administer additional testing Tuesday as a precaution.
The incident occurred during the fourth quarter when Sabonis fell to the court and grabbed Green's ankle on a change of possession. Green stomped down on Sabonis during the tie-up, resulting in Green getting ejected from the game:
Sabonis writhed in pain on the court, but he stayed in the game as Sacramento closed out a 114-106 home win to extend its series lead to 2-0.
The 26-year-old big man led the Kings with 24 points and nine rebounds in just over 39 minutes of play.
During an on-court interview after the game, Sabonis downplayed the altercation between him and Green, calling it "playoff basketball," and noting that he and Green were both fighting for the ball:
While speaking to the media in the locker room, Sabonis said grabbing on to Green's ankle was a case of trying to protect himself after getting hit in the jaw earlier in the game, and he seemingly changed his tune on Green a bit, saying there was "no room" for that type of play in basketball:
On TNT's Inside The NBA, the play was debated by the panel, with Shaquille O'Neal expressing understanding for Green's actions, while Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley felt he went overboard:
Green is a highly emotional and competitive player who racks up technical fouls on a regular basis, including 17 of them during the 2022-23 regular season.
He often becomes even more aggressive in the playoffs, and it did cost him and the Warriors dearly once before, as he was suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals, which helped spark a comeback by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who won the series in seven games.
After Monday's loss, the reigning NBA champs have their backs against the wall, but they are returning home to where they had a remarkable 33-8 record during the regular season.
The series will continue Thursday with Game 3, and all signs point toward Sabonis being available after nothing was found in the initial X-rays.
