Golden State Warriors overcome Draymond Green ejection to win 117-116 nail-biter against Memphis Grizzlies

By Ben Morse, CNN

Updated 1057 GMT (1857 HKT) May 2, 2022

Draymond Green reacts after being ejected during Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies.

(CNN)The Golden State Warriors overcame the ejection of key forward Draymond Green to win a nail-biter against the Memphis Grizzlies, 117-116, on Sunday in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal in the NBA playoffs.

The Warriors had to play the whole second half without Green after he was ejected for a flagrant two foul — described in the NBA rulebook for contact deemed to be «unnecessary and excessive» — shortly before halftime. As Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke went up for a dunk, in an apparent attempt to block the ball, Green's arm made contact with Clarke's head as he swiped down, while also grabbing Clarke's jersey. Green could be heard saying that his «hand got caught in (Clarke's) jersey,» but he was ejected nonetheless after an official review. Referee crew chief Kane Fitzgerald explained the why the foul was deemed a flagrant two rather than flagrant one — which would not have led to an ejection — after the game. Read More«The first part was the wind up and significant contact to the face, and then the pull down from the jersey grab and throw down to the floor to an airborne vulnerable player makes that unnecessary and excessive. That's what led to the flagrant foul penalty two,» Fitzgerald said in the pool report. In Green's absence and with star point guard Steph Curry in foul trouble, the Warriors leaned on third-year guard Jordan Poole for scoring. Poole, who is enjoying a breakthrough season, scored 31 points off the bench to go with nine assists and eight rebounds, while Curry added 24 points. In the final moments of the game, Klay Thompson hit a