Draymond Green was suspended for Game 3 against the Kings after he stepped on Domantas Sabonis’ chest

Draymond Green has been suspended one game without pay by the NBA after he stepped on Domantas Sabonis’ chest during Monday’s Golden State Warriors game against the Sacramento Kings.

the The NBA announced the decision in a statement on Tuesday from Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars, who wrote that the ban was “based in part on Green’s history in the non-sports business.” Green will miss game three on Thursday.

The incident occurred late in game two, which Sacramento won, 114-106 to take a 2-0 series lead. Sabonis fell to the floor while fighting for the rebound on a Kings shot. Golden State’s Stephen Curry secured the rebound and led the Warriors offense to the other side of the court.

Green was standing next to Sabonis during the change of ownership, and Sabonis grabbed Green’s right ankle. Green pulled his foot away from Sabonis’ grip, then stomped on his chest before starting to run down the court. Soapy writhed on the floor in pain.

After a review, the officials rated a technical foul on Sabonis for holding and a flagrant 2 on Green, resulting in an automatic ejection. The Kings led 91-87 at the time of the incident and won by 8 points. Green finished the game with 8 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 5 turnovers.

Sabonis continued to play and collected 24 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in the Kings victory. Post-match x-rays revealed no injuries for Sabonis.

Draymond Green will be available for Game 3 in San Francisco. (Carrie Edmondson/Reuters)

Green has been here before in the playoffs

The ban isn’t Green’s first in the postseason. The NBA suspended him in Game 5 of the 2016 Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers after he hit LeBron James in the groin in Game 4, causing a flagrant foul call. The Warriors led the series, 3-1 at the time of Green’s blocking. The Cavaliers won Game 5 and rallied to win 4-3 in the series to secure the NBA Championship.

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Like the suspension announced Tuesday, Green’s ban in 2016 was also the result of a backlog of infractions. Earlier that same season, Green was flagged for kicking then-Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams in the groin. The flagrant hit James put him over a flagrant foul limit and resulted in an automatic ban.

“While Draymond Green’s actions in Game Four do not merit comment as an independent act, his blatant point count leads to a Game Five suspension,” Kiki Vandeweghe, then-Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, wrote in a statement.

Unlike his 2016 ban, the suspension on Tuesday did not take effect automatically. Instead, the NBA considered Green’s history of violations in its decision to impose an independent suspension.

Green’s suspended absence again marks a crucial juncture in the playoff series. The defending champion Warriors return home to San Francisco looking to avoid a 3-0 series hole that would put them on the brink of a first-round playoff exit.

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