Rockets, Warriors get into shoving altercation in 2nd quarter of heated Game 4

Players on the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets got into a shoving altercation midway through the second quarter in Monday night’s Game 4 of their first-round playoff series, leading to three technical fouls before tempers flared again shortly before halftime.

With the game tied at 36, Golden State star Stephen Curry dribbled down the sideline when teammate Draymond Green put a hard screen on Houston’s Amen Thompson. Dillon Brooks appeared to become angry about the push and went at Curry and Green.

Curry received a technical for “taunting” Brooks, who also received a technical along with Green.

Warriors rookie Quinten Post and Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. flailed their arms at each other but avoided technicals upon replay review by the officials.

Then with 2:44 left in the quarter, Green received a Flagrant 1 foul for pushing Tari Eason’s face to the ground and Eason also received a technical. Green was dribbling when Eason went for a steal and the ball got loose and both players hit the floor trying to corral it. Green’s left leg was on the Rockets forward’s neck.

The Warriors lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.

There was already bad blood between the teams. Jimmy Butler returned after missing Game 3 because of a pelvic contusion suffered in Game 2 on Wednesday on a hard foul by Thompson.

Butler tried to secure a rebound when Thompson undercut him and sent the Warriors star’s feet high into the air so that he came down straight onto his tailbone. Both players thudded to the floor and Butler grimaced in pain, grabbing at his backside. He stayed in briefly to shoot two free throws before going to the locker room.

On Friday, Brooks defended Thompson and called Green a “dirty” player.

“Dillon said that? Interesting,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

And while with Memphis three years ago, Brooks’ Flagrant 2 foul on Gary Payton II during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals of the Warriors’ championship run in 2022 fractured Payton’s elbow. He returned for Game 2 of Golden State’s six-game NBA Finals victory over Boston.

Payton made an open-court foul against Brooks during Game 3 and when asked about it afterward, he said with a smile, “I didn’t see it.”

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