The NBA has upgraded a foul committed by Draymond Green on Zach Edey to a Flagrant 1 after reviewing the play.
The foul in question occurred midway through the third quarter of Friday’s 123118 win by the Golden State Warriors over the Memphis Grizzlies. As Green was driving to the basket, he lost the ball and fell in the lane near Edey’s feet. Edey picked up the ball and passed downcourt. But as the rookie attempted to run, Green clamped his left elbow on Edey’s right foot, causing him to fall to the floor.
During the game, the play was ruled a transition take foul, meaning Green intentionally fouled Edey to prevent him from joining a fast break opportunity. But that was changed to a Flagrant 1 after the league looked at the play on Saturday.
“It definitely wasn’t a basketball play,” Edey said, via ESPN. The rookie finished the game with 14 points and nine rebounds.
The foul was not reviewed during the game, which Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins criticized afterward.
The transition take foul awarded Memphis a free throw. Had it been called a Flagrant 1 during the game, the Grizzlies would have received an extra foul shot. The team already had possession on the play.
Green was eventually ejected from the game after receiving his second technical foul with 30 seconds remaining in regulation. He finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
The flagrant foul was Green’s first of the season. But that wouldn’t be notable if the Warriors forward didn’t have a history of problematic fouls. Last season, Green was suspended indefinitely for swinging around and hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face. The NBA cited Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” in issuing the penalty.
An NBA player receives one penalty point for a Flagrant 1 foul, two for a Flagrant 2 infraction. After five penalty points, he receives a one-game suspension.