It didn't take long for things to escalate in the In-Season Tournament game between the Warriors and Timberwolves.
Less than two minutes into Tuesday's game, Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels became entangled after a missed jump shot from Anthony Edwards. From there, things got out of hand. Fast.
As the two jostled with one another, McDaniels got a hold of Thompson's jersey, ripping it as each of their teammates made their way to the scene. As Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert got a hold of Thompson, Warriors forward Draymond Green rushed to his teammate's aid, putting Gobert in a headlock, which forced Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns to pry him off.
And, yes, the fracas is just as chaotic as described.
Absolute chaos between the Wolves and Warriors started by Klay and Jaden pic.twitter.com/QHjpuijvuc
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) November 15, 2023
MORE: Anthony Edwards-Draymond Green trash talk fuels rivalry between Wolves, Warriors
After a lengthy review, officials handed out punishments to three players involved: McDaniels and Thompson were each assessed technical fouls and immediately ejected for fighting.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr vented his frustration about Thompson ejection to reporters after the game, saying McDaniels initiated the situation and the two didn't deserve equal punishment.
"There's no way Klay Thompson should have been thrown out of the game," Kerr said at a news conference. "I mean, he's running up the floor and the guy grabs his jersey and is pulling on him, so Klay pulls back. No way Klay should have been ejected. That was ridiculous."
Officiating crew chief Tyler Ford told a pool reporter after the game that both players were ejected because both "were involved in an altercation that didn’t immediately dissolve and their actions warranted an ejection."
Green, who could have been a peacemaker, was assessed a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 for his act on Gobert, which equates to an automatic ejection.
Draymond Green had Rudy Gobert in a sleeper hold pic.twitter.com/yivvAds10c
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) November 15, 2023
Ford told the pool reporter Green was ejected because of "unnecessary and excessive conduct" and explained why Gobert and others escaped discipline for their involvement.
"Gobert was attempting to separate Thompson and McDaniels and was ruled to be a peacemaker," Ford said. "We reviewed all other players and acts and no other unsportsmanlike acts were observed."
When asked about the altercation, Gobert, unsurprisingly, didn't mince words.
“It was a long time, and if he knew how to choke it could have been way worse,” Gobert told The Athletic. “He tried to. His intention was to really take me out. And I kept my hands up the whole time just to show the officials that I wasn’t trying to escalate the situation.”
It's the second ejection for Green in the last four days. Saturday, he was tossed from the Warriors' loss to the Cavaliers after he was assessed a second technical foul after a run-in with All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.
Tuesday's ejections couldn't have come at a worse time for Golden State, which entered the game without Stephen Curry. Less than two minutes into a key In-Season Tournament Game, the Warriors were down three of their starters, and they ended up falling 104-101.
MORE: What to know about Stephen Curry's knee injury
With this being a repeat infraction for Green, check back for updates on whether or not he will be suspended for his actions against Minnesota.
Draymond Green-Rudy Gobert history
Green's attack on Gobert resulted in a Flagrant 2 and an ejection and will almost certainly be subject to a league review. And while Green's act might have been in the heat of the moment, the two have a checkered past with one another.
In 2019, Gobert cried after missing out on a selection to the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte. Green used Gobert's emotional response as an opportunity to take to social media, posting "I guess I should cry too... no Charlotte?" along with three crying emojis on X.
After earning a selection to the 2022 All-Star Game, Green used his moment to take another shot at Gobert, making fun of the center's emotional response to an All-Star snub in 2019.
"One thing I can assure you, if I didn't make it this year I wasn't gonna cry," Green said to TNT's studio crew. "I 100 percent assure you that. It has to be Rudy, the man cried on national television when he didn't make the All-Star team, thank God he made the next three."
Eight months later, Gobert took a shot back at Green, taking to X to post "Insecurity is always loud" on Oct. 7, 2022, a response to the leaked video of Green punching Jordan Poole.
Green would respond six months later, posting the exact same message after Gobert was sent home for punching teammate Kyle Anderson in a huddle during the last day of the NBA regular season.
Tuesday's scuffle was just another chapter, and Gobert continued to pour it on following the game. He called Green's actions "clown behavior" and said he thought Green intentionally tried to get himself thrown out because Curry was out with an injury.
“Every time Steph doesn’t play, he doesn’t want to play without his guy Steph so he does anything he can to get ejected," Gobert said, via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
