The Warriors are on a rough decline, and it doesn’t help that they will lose one of their franchise cornerstones in the meantime.
That is because Draymond Green is in hot water once again, so the NBA decided to lower the boom on him considering his repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.
Elsewhere, the Clippers are seemingly over their initial struggles, while the Pistons and the Spurs are likely headed to the lottery once again, based on the current NBA 2023 odds.
Learn more about some of the biggest NBA 2023 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Green “needs help” after yet another bust-up
The NBA decided to suspend Draymond Green indefinitely after he got into trouble yet again. On Tuesday against the Suns, Green was tossed after he clocked Jusuf Nurkic in the face midway through the third quarter, as the two were fighting for position.
Nurkic fell to the ground after getting hit, and the referees immediately reviewed the incident. After that, it was confirmed that Green’s night was over.
With 19 ejections, Draymond Green now has the most career ejections among active players, and this season he has three.
His first came against the Cavaliers on November 11. Green was ejected after getting his second technical foul when he shoved Donovan Mitchell out of bounds, which led to an altercation between the two on the other side of the court.
And then four days later, in the loss against the Timberwolves, Draymond Green had Rudy Gobert in a rear-naked choke after Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels got into it. The Warriors enforcer was slapped with a five-game ban for the incident.
Green didn’t exactly apologise for the Mitchell and Gobert altercations, but he did sing a different tune for Nurkic, saying that he never intended to hit the Suns centre.
“As you know, I’m not one to apologise for things I meant to do, but I do apologise to Jusuf. I didn’t intend to hit him,” said Green.
Meanwhile, Nurkic and Gobert took the high road as they expressed empathy towards Green and the Warriors.
“What’s going on with him? I don’t know. Personally, I feel like that brother needs help,” said Nurkic.
“You see somebody who is not well inside and suffering. You take away the game and all that, and you want somebody to be well and be able to do what we do every night and compete and be happy,” added Gobert.
Through 15 games, Draymond Green is averaging 10.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per contest. However, we all know that his impact goes beyond the box score.
Clippers suddenly on a roll
The Clippers currently own the longest active winning streak in the NBA at six straight games.
They managed to beat the Warriors (twice), Jazz, Blazers, Kings, and Nuggets during this period, and they did it by having a more concerted effort on the defencive end, where they only conceded more than 120 points once.
After enduring growing pains, the Clippers have finally established their routines and roles, as James Harden, who arrived in LA last month via trade, is now the de facto point guard, while Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are the primary scorers, and Russell Westbrook is their sixth man.
Harden, in particular, has been getting comfortable with this new arrangement, as during their winning streak, he has averaged 19.3 points, 9.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8-per cent from three-point land.
And the Beard recently reached a new milestone by becoming the 24th player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points during their win over the Warriors on Thursday.
Meanwhile, we’d be remiss if we forgot about Kawhi Leonard, as the Klaw has posted norms of 28.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 59.6-per cent from the field during their winning run.
Pistons, Spurs hitting major lows
The Pistons and the Spurs have been quite disappointing this season because of their long losing streaks, as the former lost 22 games in a row while the latter just had an 18-game skid.
The Spurs did end their drought when they took out the Lakers a while ago, but they’re still at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 4-20 record.
Obviously, the Pistons are also at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a 2-23 record.
Top overall picks Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham have established themselves as the cornerstones for their respective teams. But still, it’s safe to say that San Antonio and Detroit won’t be competing for titles anytime soon.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE BASKETBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
