Kevin Durant, JaMychal Green Technicals Rescinded from Warriors-Clippers Game 3
The technical fouls called on Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Clippers power forward JaMychal Green on Thursday were rescinded by the NBA, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
During the third quarter of the Warriors' 132-105 win over the Clippers on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series, Green knocked Durant down with a moving screen. The two exchanged words after the incident, which led to techs for both players.
The tech would have been Durant's third of the playoffs in just three games, which would have put him four technicals away from a one-game suspension.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic was critical of the decision to hand down the techs in the first place:
Per Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times, KD downplayed what led to the technicals and expressed his hope that they would be rescinded:
Aside from getting T'ed up, KD enjoyed a fantastic night with a game-high 38 points on 14-of-23 shooting to go along with seven assists and four rebounds. With the win, Durant and Golden State bounced back after blowing a 31-point lead in a Game 2 loss.
Durant did not play like his usual self in either of the first two games of the series. Against Patrick Beverley's tenacious defense, KD averaged just 22 points and 12 attempts from the field in Games 1 and 2. In Game 2, he took only eight shots, although he did go 11-of-12 from the free-throw line.
As the reigning two-time Finals MVP, the Warriors need Durant to perform at a high level in order to snag a three-peat and win their fourth title in five years.
While Durant isn't out of the woods as it relates to a potential suspension at some point in the playoffs, going back to two techs is a huge help. The Warriors know perhaps better than anyone that a key player getting suspended late in the playoffs can completely change the complexion of a series.
In the 2016 NBA Finals, Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5 due to an accumulation of flagrant foul points. The Cleveland Cavaliers were trailing 3-1 in the series at that point, but the Cavs won three in a row to take the first championship in franchise history.
Durant will look to avoid putting Golden State in a similar predicament this year.
