Draymond Green was thrown off the court again in the NBA – after less than four minutes of play. The Golden State Warriors basketball professional received two technical fouls in quick succession against the Orlando Magic and was not allowed to finish a game for the fourth time this season.
It was his first sending off since he was handed a 16-game ban in December after punching an opponent. The Warriors still won their away game 101:93 and defended tenth place in the Western Conference.
Due to the unexpected victory of the Houston Rockets against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the pressure on the Warriors around superstar Stephen Curry remains high. The Rockets won 132:126 after overtime against the second-place team in the Western Conference.
For the Magic around the world champion brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner, the defeat meant a setback in the fight for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The New York Knicks with Isaiah Hartenstein won an easy 145:101 against the Toronto Raptors and now have a small cushion over the team from Florida. Franz Wagner got 14 points, his brother Moritz stayed with six points. Hartenstein scored 15 points for New York. Neither the Knicks nor the Magic have to seriously worry about playoff participation.
Playoffs unlikely for Schröder and Nets
For world champion captain Dennis Schröder and the Brooklyn Nets, participation in the playoffs is becoming increasingly unlikely despite a win. The Nets beat the Washington Wizards 122:119, but were unable to make up any ground on the Atlanta Hawks in tenth place in the table. The Hawks won their game against the Portland Trail Blazers 120:106 and, with nine games remaining in the main round, already have five more wins than the Nets.
There were victories for both teams from Los Angeles. With LeBron James, who was missing from the win against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Lakers won 136:124 against the Memphis Grizzlies. James had a triple double of 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. The Clippers avenged Sunday’s loss with a 108-107 win against the Philadelphia 76ers. World champion Daniel Theis did not play for the Clippers for the second game in a row.
