Kerr ‘disappointed' in Draymond's actions in Warriors-Kings

Kerr ‘disappointed' in Draymond's actions in Warriors-Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors were thrilled to have Draymond Green return to action Tuesday after his involvement in the Timberwolves scuffle resulted in a five-game suspension.

After the NBA penalized the veteran forward for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock, Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted Green "took it too far" and acknowledged Green has to do better for his teammates as one of the most important leaders of the team.

But in Tuesday's loss to the Sacramento Kings, it appears Green didn't learn his lesson.

"[It's] disappointing because Draymond, he drives a lot of our results," Kerr said Wednesday on 95.7 The Game's "Willard and Dibs." "I've told people over the years that we don't have a single championship without Draymond and I fully believe that. Our teams have been so skilled, but Draymond is a guy who gives us a defensive force, the emotion, the edge. There's just a different mentality with our team with Draymond and he takes us over the top. So he's a very powerful figure and he knows that and he and I have talked about that.

"But he has to harness that power. I was disappointed last night that he got that tech, reaction to the foul afterward because the momentum really swung in Sacramento's favor after that. So he's got to be better and he knows that."

In a trip 90 miles up I-80 to visit their Northern California neighbors, there was a lot on the line for this matchup between Golden State and Sacramento. Aside from their newfound rivalry stemming from last season's seven-game playoff series, a spot in the NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals was on the line.

The Warriors started strong -- and so did Green, even knocking down two 3-pointers in the first half. But fans inside Golden 1 Center weren't very neighborly to Green, who received loud boos every time he touched the ball.

For three quarters of the game, it appeared to not get to him. But everything changed in the fourth.

After the Warriors led by as many as 24 points, the Kings creeped in and pulled within single digits with less than 10 minutes remaining.

Tensions rose when Green was defending Kings forward Trey Lyles and flopped, but argued with officials and was visibly upset that he didn't get the foul call. A few seconds later, Steph Curry was whistled for a foul on Kings guard Malik Monk, another play Green wasn't happy with and expressed that with the officials.

Green wanted a carrying violation called on Monk, and demonstrated that to the refs a little too excessively. As a result, a technical foul was assessed to Green -- and Kings fans erupted inside G1C as Green was pulled from the game for Kevon Looney.

From that point on, the Kings went on a 26-16 run to come all the way back and win 124-123 following a game-winning shot by Monk.

"It definitely was the momentum we needed from them slipping up right there," Monk said postgame of Green's tech.

While there's no denying the positive impact Green has had and continues to have on the Warriors, Kerr and the team hope he can find a balance to be there for. his team when they need him most.

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