Ref explains why Draymond was ejected late in Warriors' loss

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At the worst possible moment Saturday night, Draymond Green lost his cool, crossed a line and got himself ejected from the Warriors' eventual 102-100 loss to the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center.

With the Warriors leading 100-98 in the final 15 seconds, following a jump ball between Warriors guard Brad Wanamaker and Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, Charlotte forward Gordon Hayward retrieved the ball.

Green jumped on the floor and tried to force another jump ball with Hayward. Instead, the referees awarded the Hornets with a timeout.

That's when Green lost it. The refs quickly hit him with two technical fouls and ejected him from the game with 9.3 seconds left.

Terry Rozier converted the two technical foul shots to the tie the game, and then hit a buzzer-beater to give the Hornets the stunning win.

After the game, The Charlotte Observer's Rock Bonnell served as the Pool Reporter and asked crew chief Marc Davis why Green was ejected.

"His first technical foul was assessed when he directed profanity at his opponent," Davis told Bonnell. "He was assessed his first technical foul for verbally taunting an opponent. He then proceeded to direct screaming profanity at a game official and received his technical foul was ejected as per rule."

According to Warriors forward Eric Paschall, Green told his teammates after the game that he blames himself for getting ejected. In a game his team absolutely needed to win, the three-time NBA All-Star severely hurt Golden State.

As for the jump ball between Wanamaker and Ball, Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game that he was trying to call a timeout. Davis explained why a timeout wasn't granted.

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"LaMelo ties Brad up prior to Kerr requesting the time," Davis said. "The postgame video confirms this decision as correctly judged."

Davis also stated that postgame video clearly shows the timeout granted to the Hornets when Hayward jumped on the subsequent loose ball was correctly called, and that P.J. Washington called for the timeout while Hayward had clear possession.

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Kerr and the Warriors won't like any of the decisions made by Davis and the referees. But at the end of the day, Green knows he can't put himself and his team in that situation. He's a veteran leader and is supposed to set the example.

If Green hadn't gotten so upset after the Hornets were awarded a timeout, the Warriors would have had a chance to win the game if they could have played 9.3 seconds of good defense.

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