Draymond Green can kick higher than many thought.
The Warriors big man showed off his flexibility when he got tangled up with Pelicans guard Herb Jones during a chippy contest on Tuesday, in which Golden State rallied back from a 20-point deficit for a crucial 120-109 win over New Orleans.
During a heated second quarter, Green committed an offensive foul and appeared to try and kick Jones while the two were entangled on the floor under the basket.
The referee was seen holding Jones back and Green was whistled for a charge.
The crowd inside Chase Center was already fired up as Green and Pelicans All-Star Brandon Ingram were whistled for double technicals just moments earlier, after a hard foul by Green that led to a tussle between the two.
Green was seen having words with the referee and yelling at both benches, including his coach Steve Kerr.
The foul against Ingram was upgraded to a Flagrant 1.
The four-time NBA champion already served a one-game suspension on March 17 for his picking up his 16th technical.
Green’s 17th technical on the season will result in a minimum fine of $5,000, per NBA rules — and if he gets an additional technical (an 18th) he will be suspended again.
Kerr briefly took Green out of the game after his scuffle with Jones.
However, the coach had no issue with Green’s behavior — and admitted that “we all deserved” his wrath.
“We need his fire,” Kerr said.
“Draymond willed us to victory tonight. His frustration early with the way we were playing. Mad at the world. Yelling at everybody, their bench, our bench, me, and frankly we all deserved it.”
As for Green?
“It was perfect, right, perfectly executed,” he said with a grin.
Green was just shy of a double-double, finishing with eight points, six rebounds, and 13 assists.
The Warriors moved up a spot into sixth place in the Western Conference standings — and currently sit a half-game up on Minnesota and 1 1/2 games ahead of New Orleans.
Golden State hosts the Spurs on Friday night.
