There was a massive scuffle in the NBA on Tuesday evening (local time). The Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green and Klay Thompson take off before the first basket in a 101:104 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota basketball player Jaden McDaniel also went back to the dressing room with the score 0-0 on Tuesday evening (local time). The pulling of Thompson’s jersey after just 103 seconds led to a scuffle between the two teams in the North American professional league.
Green temporarily tackled the interfering Frenchman Rudy Gobert. According to video images, the referee awarded penalties to McDaniels, Thompson and Green, for whom it was their second dismissal of the season. It is now clear that the league has imposed a five-game suspension on Draymond Green. Thompson and McDaniels, as well as Gobert, were each fined $25,000 (23,003 euros).
Additionally, the Toronto Raptors suffered a defeat in their second duel of the season with the Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Two weeks after the 130:111 success, the Canadians lost 112:128 on Wednesday (local time). Jakob Poeltl achieved his 75th double-double of the NBA regular season with 13 points and eleven rebounds. He also recorded four steals, two blocks and one assist in 27:10 minutes of action.
On Monday against the Washington Wizards, the Raptors turned a 23-point deficit into a win shortly after halftime. In the duel with the Bucks, their deficit at halftime was the same size, 47:70. After 31 minutes the score was 60:93. There was no further return. “We faced big problems defensively in the first half,” Pöltl summarized. Most of all, the litter was not diverted. “Once again we struggled to get back into the game, but the Bucks scored very well overall,” the center said.
In the absence of top star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is suffering from a calf strain, Damian Lillard became Milwaukee’s best scorer. In addition to scoring 37 points (24 before the break), he also had 13 assists. In Toronto, Scotty Barnes was the most successful thrower with 29 points. Friday will mark another first and anniversary for the Raptors. Poeltl will make his 500th regular season appearance in the world’s strongest basketball league against the Boston Celtics. Their team is also playing a game for the first time which is also part of the newly introduced tournament format. The 30 teams are initially divided into six groups, and the winner will be determined in a knockout mode in early December. The league hopes to increase excitement during the regular season with an “in-season tournament” for the trophy called the NBA Cup.
