There is no love lost between Draymond Green of the Warriors and the Hornets’ Grant Williams.
Green used some fireworks on Friday between the two teams at the end of a Warriors’ 97-84 win, which seemed to be instigated by Charlotte’s Miles Bridges, to go after Williams, whom Green has feuded with in the past.
As Lester Quinones from the Warriors attempted a garbage-time layup, Bridges went up and knocked it away and was called for goaltending, evidently upset with Quinones trying to score.
That’s when players from both teams went onto the court and a scrum broke out.
Williams ended up near Golden State’s bench, where Green was watching, having been removed from the game.
Green was not impressed with Williams’ actions.
“He’s getting into it with everybody this year and then he came over to our bench and thought he was about to have a friend,” Green said after the game. “Ain’t no friends for you over here, my man. Like you’ve got to go down there and talk to your guys. You can’t come over here and talk to us about what just happened with our players. Like no, we support [Quinones].”
And it’s not the first time.
Green and Williams had a number of confrontations during the 2022 NBA Finals, when Williams was with the Celtics.
After Golden State won the title, Williams said Boston was still the better team.
Friday night’s fight renewed the tension.
“Grant Williams [has] got to stop it,” Green said. “He can’t keep being this tough guy. It’s going absolutely wrong for him. He’s a really nice guy and, and for some reason, he keeps trying to jump on the unlikable side. And I must tell you, it’s not always fun over here. It’s not always a good time.”
Green added he didn’t think it was the first time Williams let his words get in the way, referencing reports that Williams was traded by the Mavericks, at least in part, because of attitude issues.
“Talking too much kind of got you out of Dallas,” Green said. “He’s over there talking too much now. Might want to slow down and stop all the tough guy stuff.”
Green also noted that he didn’t consider Williams’ behavior fitting for someone who is first vice president of the NBA Players Association, saying, “You can’t be out here doing all that stuff.”
Green also chastised Charlotte for being upset with Quinones looking to score.
“I don’t really understand why people get so mad at somebody scoring at the end of the game,” Green said. “It’s like this dumb unofficial unwritten rule that everybody gets mad. Like if y’all were winning by 13 points, would you get mad if he laid the ball up? I doubt it.
“And so it’s kind of like a sore loser type thing.”