Golden State Warriors forward JaMychal Green has been fined $20,000 for “directing profane and derogatory language” toward a referee. The NBA announced the statement officially on Thursday night.
The incident occurred when Golden State Warriors faced Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. The match ended in a 130-119 loss for the Warriors and many of their players were left visibly frustrated by the proceedings.
Green has been in and out of the Warriors’ rotation and squad dynamics since arriving to the team at the beginning of the current season. After not playing in three consecutive games, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he’d insert Green back into the rotation, playing him at more of a center position rather than as a forward. The thought was this would help continue to unlock guard Jordan Poole in the second unit.
Against the Suns, Green ended the night with two points and two rebounds in 17 minutes.
Meanwhile, GSW talisman Steph Curry had yet another spectacular game. He scored 50 points for the 11th time in his storied and illustrious career but couldn’t prevent his side’s loss to Phoenix.
It was the biggest defeat for the team since a 14-point loss to the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 30 and dropped Golden State to 6-9 on the year.
Besides Curry’s heroics, the Warriors suffered on both the offensive and defensive fronts. Excluding the 34-year-old’s contributions, the Warriors hit just 24-of-63 shots, including only 10-of-33 from 3-point range.
Defensively, the Warriors allowed the Suns to hit 44-of-86 shots and 21-of-40 3-pointers.
Head coach Steve Kerr took responsibility for his side’s defeat and abysmal performance. He pointed out that the team needs to work on its chemistry with every player contributing towards the same cause.
“We’ve got to get everybody on board, on the same page in terms of worrying about winning,” Kerr said after the game. “Right now, we’re just scattered. It’s a pick-up game out there. There’s no execution at either end. There’s no commitment to the group to get three stops in a row, to execute on offense.
“And it obviously starts with me,” he added.
“I’m the coach of the team. So, I have to figure out a way to get that production, that sort of commitment to the team and to each other and to win that it’s going to require.”