During the Warriors‘ 123-114 victory over the Utah Jazz on January 2, 2026, Golden State forward Draymond Green stole the spotlight by being ejected from the game on more than one occasion.
After missing a game and with Green out, Stephen Curry led the team to victory, but both he and the team had to make some changes first.
Steph highlighted the Warriors’ crucial adjustment
In late December, Green had left the court after an altercation with head coach Steve Kerr against the Orlando Magic, and even days earlier he had been ejected for pushing a Phoenix Suns player.
Now, Draymond was ejected with 2:25 left in the second quarter after receiving two consecutive technicals for a dispute with the referee. This is the second time in four games at Chase Center.
The game continued after the 35-year-old forward’s absence, and Curry took control, scoring 20 points in the third quarter alone, making six of seven shots and turning the tide for the Warriors. After 34 minutes of action, Steph finished with 31 points, five assists, two rebounds, and six three-pointers.
After the game, the “Chef” referred to Green’s ejection and confessed that neither he nor his teammates thought it was necessary:
“We won the game, that’s all we care about, that’s all he [Green] cares about,” he said to the media. “I know he’d rather be out there. I don’t know what he said to the ref, but I didn’t think it was. The consensus in the locker room was there wasn’t enough to get thrown out.”
However, Curry also highlighted the change and adjustments he had to make to secure a victory for the Warriors against Utah and recover from the blow previously dealt to them by the OKC Thunder:
“I just ran a lot of pick and roll. Kept it pretty simple,” he said. “It was less chaos, um, off-ball action with me. So a necessary adjustment with him [Green] out.”
Meanwhile, Golden State’s (19-17) next game will be on December 5 against the Los Angeles Clippers (12-22), who were just defeated by the Boston Celtics 146-115.
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