Nurkic: Green 'didn't learn anything' from suspension
Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic wasn't happy with Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green's attitude on Saturday night.
"It's sad. He didn't learn anything," Nurkic told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. "Just a matter of time. He's going to knock somebody else again. Take everything back, what I said. He don't deserve a chance."
The pair received matching technical fouls for trash-talking after Green fouled Nurkic midway through the opening quarter of Saturday's contest.
Their verbal sparring culminated in the third quarter when Nurkic slapped the floor and made a "too small" gesture toward Green after hitting a hook shot. Green returned the favor a few possessions later.
Draymond Green does the "Too Small" taunt after the bucket on Jusuf Nurkic 😅pic.twitter.com/VotAdWf8eg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 11, 2024
"You can't be a nothing defender if you're going to do that. ... You probably outweigh me by 70 pounds, and you get put in the rim? Got to be more careful," Green told reporters postgame, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
After the contest, Warriors star Steph Curry called Nurkic's comments "idiotic" and said that "Draymond was in his head. Plain and simple.
Green was suspended indefinitely on Dec. 12 for striking Nurkic in the face, missing 12 games. Saturday marked the first time the pair faced off since the incident.
It was Green's second of the season. The 33-year-old sat out for five games in November after putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.
Due to his repeated aggressive behavior, the NBA had Green attend mandatory counseling to prove he could manage his on-court attitude.
After his reinstatement, the league said Green "demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players."
Green, meanwhile, expressed his desire to be calmer on the court. "Antics isn't something that got me here," the veteran said, according to Janie McCauley of the Associated Press.
"I'm very confident I can remove the antics, and I'm very confident that if I do remove the antics, no one's worried about how I play the game of basketball."
Golden State snuck past Phoenix with a 113-112 victory thanks to Curry's game-winning triple with 0.7 seconds left. The Warriors and Suns won't square off again during the regular season.