The Warriors got back to a .500 record, beating the Orlando Magic with an electric second-half performance. However, the talking point remained the third-quarter quarrel between head coach Steve Kerr and four-time All-Star Draymond Green. Yesterday, Kerr called it a private matter, but the exchange wasn’t that straightforward.

The timeout occurred at 8:31 in the third quarter, and Green reacted emotionally to Kerr. The 35-year-old was already heated at the referee for a foul call, as players and coaches tried to calm him down. That’s when the veteran allegedly said to his head coach,” f— you”.

Kerr knew the moment was difficult with emotions running high, but drew the line, “If you don’t want me to talk to you, then go home! How am I supposed to coach you, Dray?”

That’s when we saw Green’s subsequent exit to the locker room with assistant coach Anthony Vereen. Before checking out of the game, Green contributed nine points, seven rebounds, and two assists.

This was only 18 minutes of action, where he drained four of his five shots but had the lowest plus/minus on the team, a -5 during a 23-point win. It was also the reason why the coach took the timeout in the first place.

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“I took the timeout just because I thought we lost our focus there a little bit,” Kerr told reporters after the game. “[Green] made his decision to go back to the locker room to cool off. That’s all I’m going to say about it.”

It comes at a time when the 35-year-old is averaging his lowest efficiency since 2021 and a career high in turnovers. With the team in a slump, 2-3 in their last 5 games, perhaps a different energy from the veteran is needed. This was the second game in a row in which he did not return despite being fit.

Against the Suns, Draymond Green was ejected after two technical fouls with 10:39 minutes left in the first half of Golden State’s 119-116 win. At the time, Steve Kerr tried to come to his player’s defense, but earned a technical for protesting the call.

Against the Magic, he decided to return to the bench in street clothes as his teammates produced a second-half clinic to get their 15th win of the season.

Afterward, Green told the media that he “thought that was the best for me.”

Emotional night for Draymond Green

The ejection against the Suns seems to be an afterthought, as he was all smiles at the Chase Center. The entire arena burst into a ‘Happy Birthday’ song for his 9-year-old son, DJ, who couldn’t stop smiling.

Draymond Green couldn’t help but leave the huddle and join the celebrations. During a timeout in the first half, the veteran left the huddle and appreciated the crowd for their effort.

“Happy Birthday Big Dude! Love to the Dub Nation!” Draymond Green said, responding to the moment on Instagram threads. But the heartfelt moment soon turned into a controversy.

Everyone saw how Green and Kerr clashed, and later the player did not return. He then explained that the emotions got the best of him, and he did not think “there was a situation where it was going to get better.”

“Sometimes you’re with people for a long time, there’s a level of comfort and [expletive] happens. We move forward,” the four-time NBA champion concluded.

It seems like this was just a minor bump in Steve Kerr and Draymond Green’s long-standing partnership.

For two straight games, the Warriors survived without their veteran, but he will have amends by leading from the front.