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Kendra AndrewsESPN
The NBA will not rescind Draymond Green‘s 16th technical foul of the season, the league announced Thursday, meaning Green will be suspended for one game without pay.
Green will serve his suspension Friday night when the Golden State Warriors face the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.
The tech came with 40 seconds left in the first half of the Warriors’ 134-126 loss at the LA Clippers on Wednesday when Green appeared to have thrown the ball at Russell Westbrook after Ivica Zubac scored.
Following the loss, Green was confident the league would change its mind and bring his technical foul total back to 15.
“I expect something to change,” Green said. “If that’s a technical, then every word you say on the court is a technical.”
If Green gets another technical foul, he will be fined a minimum of $5,000. If he gets two more, he will be suspended again.
“I’ve never said one word to Draymond, and he’s never gone over the limit,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said last week. “He always comes right up to the edge and then he stops. He knows how valuable he is, I don’t have to say anything to him. He knows that he can’t get that next one; we need him.”
In addition to Green, the Warriors will be without Andre Iguodala (left wrist fracture), Gary Payton II (right adductor soreness) and Andrew Wiggins (personal reasons). Stephen Curry is listed as questionable with left thumb soreness and Kevon Looney is probable with low back soreness.
Golden State is getting Anthony Lamb back, though, after converting his two-way contract into a standard one, sources told ESPN. Lamb has been inactive the last five contests after maxing out his 50-game limit on his two-way. Lamb cemented himself as a rotation player early on in the season, and with the absence of Green and Wiggins — and possibly Looney — the Warriors are in desperate need of more depth in the frontcourt.
The Warriors are also signing G League standout guard Lester Quinones to a two-way contract, sources told ESPN.