Draymond Green Ejection Fuels Warriors Fifth Straight Win Over Suns

The Golden State Warriors were supposed to be vulnerable Monday night. Playing the second night of a back-to-back against a Phoenix Suns team that had been off for a couple of days, with their defensive anchor Draymond Green battling foul trouble, the visitors looked primed to hand Golden State another early-season loss. Instead, the Warriors walked off the floor with a 116-113 victory and their first five-game win streak since April 2025, NBC Sports Bay Area reported.

The win mattered because it came after three straight losses to open the season, a skid that had left the Warriors searching for answers and their fanbase wondering if the early promise was real.

Stephen Curry wants Draymond Green TRADED after EJECTION – Post Game Interview – Suns vs Warriors

The Scruffle That Changed Everything

The turning point arrived with 10 minutes left in the third quarter. Green, already frustrated by his team’s 26 minutes of futile pursuit in which they trailed by 11, vigorously retaliated to a shove from Suns center Khaman Maluach. That drew Suns forward Dillon Brooks charging in for a brief scuffle involving mutual jersey grabbing. After officials reviewed the activity, both players received technical fouls, and Green was automatically disqualified because it was his second.

Phoenix had owned the first quarter, puncturing Golden State’s defense for 31 points on 60-percent shooting and leading by as much as 17 before the Warriors shook off their lethargy in the second quarter. But the ejection provided the spark that had been missing. Golden State responded with 22 minutes of grit and determination, composing themselves to go on a 16-5 run that pulled them into a 73-73 tie on a Stephen Curry midrange jumper with 6:47 remaining in the third.

For all that Draymond Green has done, and still does, for the Warriors, they did not come together Monday night until after he came apart (via @MontePooleNBCS) https://t.co/nIXxerBe1b

— https://x.com/NBCSWarriors/status/2117644381578805421

Curry Dominates Scoring After Green’s Suspension

With Green banished to the locker room, Curry took over the scoring load. He poured in 25 of his game-high 34 points in the second half, and Golden State outscored the Suns by 14 points—59-45—during Green’s absence. From the tie onward, the momentum generally rode with the Warriors, who never looked back.

“He lit a fire in all of us and we had to respond,” Curry said. “I’m glad we did. It was a combination of that moment and having our brother’s back when he defends us. But it was also understanding this is one of those games where most of our guys were on a back-to-back and Phoenix had been off for a couple of days. They were 1-3 and we knew they were going to come out playing desperate.”

The context mattered as much as the talent. The Suns entered the game winless in their previous three outings and desperate for a victory, while the Warriors were playing their second game in two nights and fighting fatigue.

Steph Curry: Draymond Ejection “LIT A FIRE IN ALL OF US” | Warriors-Suns Postgame

Bassey Fills the Void

Perhaps the weirdest part of the night was that Golden State played its best defense without its best defender. The Suns shot just 43.2 percent from the field, including 26.7 percent beyond the arc, after Green was ejected. Backup center Charles Bassey filled in wonderfully, producing 10 points and six rebounds in the immediate aftermath and finishing with a career-high 19 points and eight rebounds over 23 minutes.

The much-traveled 26-year-old—who has played for five NBA teams in six years—is 6-foot-10 with an active presence in the paint and a soft shooting touch. His performance was by any metric superior to the work Green submitted during his 17 minutes, which produced four points, four rebounds, and two assists. Brandin Podziemski, who scored 11 of his 20 points during the post-ejection comeback, said the moment galvanized the locker room.

Draymond Green Ejection Fuels Warriors Fifth Straight Win Over Suns — Photo: warriorscentral.com

“It fueled our team,” Podziemski said. “We didn’t have that edge to us to start the game. Found it a little bit in the second quarter and then they came out in the third quarter pretty well, and then the ejection kind of changed the game for us. Everybody locked in a little bit more and came together for Dray. I think it was needed. Maybe he sensed it, maybe he didn’t. But it helped us.”

It isn’t to suggest it’s time to bench Green. He still brings immense value, especially when the stakes rise, whether it’s the significance of the game or a personal matchup against an opposing star. But Golden State’s center rotation looks better than it did when training camp opened without Kristaps Porzingis. Green and Bassey, along with rookie Graham Ike, bring different attributes, and all are needed.

Defense Without Its Anchor

Coach Steve Kerr acknowledged the oddity of his team’s best defensive stretch coming without Green but pointed to energy rather than scheme. “It’s rare when that happens,” Kerr said. “But I think it was more just about us catching up to the energy that Phoenix was showing that whole first half. We got engaged; the game was tight the whole second half and our guys summoned the energy necessary to win a game on a back-to-back.”

Steve Kerr on Steph Curry's FT Miss, Draymond EJECTION & Charles Bassey BREAKOUT | Warriors-Suns

The victory marked the Warriors’ fifth straight win, slowly making a believer of the coach. “Winning those two games on the road in Denver and Minnesota kind of righted the ship,” Kerr said. “And now we’ve carried the momentum forward, so we turned a bad start into a good start. Now we’ve got to keep it going.”

That is always the biggest challenge, and there is no doubt Green will be an asset when he returns. Usually by his presence, but on this night by his absence, the Warriors proved they have the depth to survive a turbulent moment and still walk away with a win.