Gary Payton II got pushed into the Grizzlies coach, who then wound up falling down

Draymond Green is willing to get chippy with just about anyone, but he has an especially lengthy history with the Memphis Grizzlies. Dillon Brooks may be gone and the Grizzlies, with several key players injured, may not pose the threat to the Golden State Warriors that they usually do, but the rivalry between the two teams persists and Green once again found himself at the center of it on Wednesday.

The incident began in the second quarter. Green was defending Salti Aldama under the basket, and after Aldama scored, the two of them had a heated confrontation, during which Green grabbed a fistful of Aldama’s jersey. Later, in a stoppage, Green was complaining to an official with Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and guard Desmond Bane right by him.

Bane and Green got into a bit of a shoving match, and then suddenly, a full scrum had formed. In the center of it, Warriors wing Gary Payton II got shoved into Jenkins, who immediately fell to the ground.

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Green quickly got pulled away, and despite the big group that got involved, the situation did not get out of control. Green and Bane were assessed double technical fouls, but nobody was ejected. The game proceeded from there without incident.

Compared to some of Green’s usual antics, this was a relatively minor incident. However, the NBA has shown that it watches Green carefully because of his track record. He has been suspended six total times in his career for a total of 25 games. That includes the 16-game indefinite suspension he served earlier this season after committing a flagrant foul against Jusuf Nurkic of the Phoenix Suns.

The Warriors are right in the thick of a playoff race that could conceivably see them rise as high as No. 6 in the Western Conference or stay as low as their current No. 10 seed. They need Green available if they are going to climb up the Western Conference ladder. Thankfully, this situation didn’t escalate as many Green incidents do, but given the league’s acknowledged stance on taking his past into account, it’s possible that he still faces discipline anyway.