SAN FRANCISCO — The first time Draymond Green and longtime nemesis Dillon Brooks shared the floor this season, only one of them was still left by the end.
asserted
one → share → end
In that battle, consider Brooks the winner.
asserted
Brooks → consider → battle
In the one that actually matters in terms of wins and losses, point to Green and the Warriors.
asserted
that → matter → Green
Green’s ejection 2 minutes into the second half Monday night awakened the sleep-walking Warriors, who erased a 17-point deficit in his absence to pull out a 116-113 win.
asserted
who → awaken → win
“He lit a fire in all of us,” said Stephen Curry, “and we had to respond.
asserted
we → light → us
So I’m glad we did.”
asserted
we → ’m → ?
While the double technical ended Green’s night and put him two closer to the 16-tech threshold that automatically merits a one-game suspension, the Warriors had no problem with it.
asserted
Warriors → end → it
“I loved it,” said fourth-year guard Brandin Podziemski, who had six points in the first half but finished with 20.
asserted
who → love → 20
“It fueled our team.
asserted
It → fuel → team
We didn’t have that edge to start the game.
asserted
We → have → game
…
“Maybe he sensed it.
asserted
he → sense → it
Maybe he didn’t.
asserted
he → do → ?
But it helped.”
asserted
it → help → ?
Green wrapped both arms around Khaman Maluach as Phoenix’s 7-foot center tried to finish at the rim shortly into the third quarter and threw him to the ground.
asserted
center → wrap → ground
Almost as soon as Maluach hit the floor, Brooks was in Green’s face, a familiar juxtaposition for two of the NBA’s most fiery players.
asserted
Brooks → hit → players
Green responded by grabbing Brooks’ jersey with both hands, close to his neck.
asserted
Green → respond → neck
Upon review, the incident resulted in technical fouls for Green and Brooks, and a second on Green for his “throwdown” of Maluach.
asserted
incident → result → Maluach
That earned Green an early trip to the showers.
asserted
That → earn → showers
And almost instantaneously, the game flipped in the Warriors’ favor.
asserted
game → flip → favor
They were trailing 68-57 when Green was tossed at the 10-minute mark.
asserted
Green → trail → mark
Not even four minutes later, the Warriors had rallied to tie the score at 73 and never trailed by more than six again.
asserted
Warriors → rally → six
The Suns responded to Green’s absence by going small, subbing out Oso Ighodaro with 6-foot-7 forward Ryan Dunn at center.
asserted
Suns → respond → center
Coach Steve Kerr didn’t care to weigh in on Green’s testy back-and-forth with Brooks but said the Suns’ adjustment “opened up the game.”
asserted
adjustment → care → game
“I think they played maybe 12 minutes of super small with [6-foot-7 forward Ryan] Dunn at the five,” Kerr said.
asserted
Kerr → think → five
“It kind of opened up the game a little bit.
asserted
It → open → game
Our crowd got into it and our guys just did a great job of finding energy on a back-to-back.”
asserted
guys → get → back
While the Warriors were on the back end of their second back-to-back of the season, the Suns were well-rested having played Friday.
asserted
Suns → rest → season
When they squared off Monday night, it was the Warriors’ eighth game of the season to only the Suns’ fifth.
asserted
it → square → fifth
So even though Green and Curry sat out against the Clippers the night before, it was understandable for the Warriors to come out sluggish.
asserted
Warriors → sit → Clippers
The fact that they were able to rally and finish stronger, well, maybe some credit belongs to the guy who spent most of the second half in the locker room.
asserted
who → rally → room
“We’ve got to have our brother’s back when he defends us,” Curry said.
asserted
Curry → get → us
“But it’s also one of those games, most of the guys on the back to back, Phoenix had been off for a couple days, they started 1-3 and [we] knew they were gonna come out playing desperate.
asserted
they → ’ → days
…
“We just tried to weather the storm, execute, give ourselves a chance, and that third quarter was the run that we needed to get back into it.”
asserted
we → try → it
The Aporia
