Draymond Green Admits to Punching James Harden in Injured Wrist

After Friday's game between two of the top three teams in the Western Conference, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green admitted to punching the injured wrist of Houston Rockets star James Harden.

"He pinched me, so I punched his wrist," Green said, per ESPN.com's Calvin Watkins. "That's pretty much it. He does it often actually, which is kind of adolescent, but whatever."

The play in question occurred during the third quarter when Green and Harden were locked up. Green was trying to get position, with Harden's left arm on his stomach, when he threw a punch.

An official called an offensive foul on Green, who briefly argued.

Green and Harden have had their battles in the past. Green was assessed a flagrant-1 foul during a game against the Rockets on Dec. 1 after he kicked Harden in the face during a putback attempt.

Harden originally jammed his wrist against the Denver Nuggets on March 18, but he told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle he has no intention of taking time off to let it heal.

"These are big games for us," he said. "Easy decision. I get treatment. Got treatment before shootaround. Try to do anything to prepare myself to go out there and play a good game."

After the Rockets lost 107-98 to the Warriors on Friday, Harden offered his take on the punch.

"I thought it was a closed fist. I don't know," Harden said. "I don't know what [the referee] saw."

The Golden State defense was all over Harden. Houston's MVP candidate posted a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds to go with eight assists but shot just 4-of-18 from the field and had six turnovers.