Draymond ejected again; 'we need him,' Kerr says

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected late in the second quarter Saturday night after vehemently arguing for a three-second violation against the Utah Jazz.

It was Green's second ejection in the past eight games. The Warriors (19-17) won 123-114 on Saturday night.

The sequence occurred when Green was defending Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski on a baseline drive. Filipowski picked up his dribble under the basket, and Green had him trapped and searching for an outlet.

During the late stages of his trap, Green started yelling, "Three! Three!" toward official Simone Jelks, asking for a three-second violation. A few moments later, as Lauri Markkanen finished the Utah possession with a dunk, Green yelled in displeasure again, earning an initial technical.

After the first whistle, Green directed a few words at official Kevin Cutler, who hit him with a quick second technical, which led to an automatic ejection.

"I don't know what he said to the ref," Stephen Curry said. "But I think, the consensus in the locker room was there wasn't enough to get thrown out."

It was the 22nd regular-season ejection of Green's career and his ninth technical of the season. He will receive a one-game suspension if he reaches 16 technical fouls.

"We need Draymond," coach Steve Kerr said. "I want him out there. We need him."

Saturday continued a tumultuous stretch for Green. He was ejected Dec. 20 at home against the Suns. In the next game, Green argued with Kerr on the sideline and pulled himself out of the game in the third quarter.

The Warriors trailed 58-48 at the time of Green's ejection Saturday. They were a plus-19 the rest of the game, continuing a recent trend of better play when Green is off the floor. They rallied for wins against Phoenix and Orlando after he left early.

"That ain't the formula," Jimmy Butler said. "No, no, no, no, no. We need '23' out there."

The Warriors have won six of their past eight games, improving to 19-17 and generating their best momentum in a couple of months. They face the Clippers in Los Angeles on Monday night.

"You do have to remember where we were a week-and-a-half, two weeks ago," Curry said. "And what's ahead in terms of an opportunity to string some wins together. I think our morale is pretty high, and we're playing hard and competing."