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Draymond Green and his night ended early, but not because of injury. The Golden State Warriors forward missed the final 20 minutes of the team’s 120–97 win over the Orlando Magic after leaving the bench and heading to the locker room following a tense exchange with head coach Steve Kerr.
The moment unfolded early in the third quarter with Golden State trailing, 71–66. Kerr called a timeout after Green committed a turnover, and the discussion that followed quickly escalated. Shortly after, Green stood up, excused himself from the bench, and walked off the floor.
“We had it out a little bit,” Kerr said after the game, via ESPN. “He made his decision to go back to the locker room to cool off. That’s all I’m going to say about it. Everything is private.”
Oh my: Draymond Green storms into the locker room after a huge argument with Steve Kerr.
What is going on?!?pic.twitter.com/hzILqW1HNu
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 23, 2025
Green eventually returned to the bench before the fourth quarter but never re-entered the game. He finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and two assists in fewer than 18 minutes, a performance Kerr said was strong despite the abrupt ending.
“Tempers spilled over, and I thought it was best that I get out of there,” Green said. “I don’t think it was a situation where it was going to get better. It was best to remove myself.”
The incident overshadowed what Kerr described as one of the Warriors’ better wins of the season. The victory moved Golden State to an even 15–15 record and featured standout offensive contributions elsewhere. Stephen Curry led the team with 26 points, while Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody combined for 41 points on 75 percent shooting.
Both Kerr and Green emphasized that the moment was not expected to carry over moving forward.
“We’ve been at this now for a long time,” Green said. “Sometimes you’re with people for a long time and there’s a level of comfort and shit happens. We move forward.”
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