The Golden State Warriors fell 106-96 to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night at Chase Center, snapping their five-game winning streak in a heated Western Conference showdown. But it wasn’t just the loss that had fans and players buzzing—it was Draymond Green’s candid reaction to a Flagrant 1 foul call that stirred the pot.
The incident occurred early in the third quarter when Green, known for his fiery competitiveness, drove to the basket and made contact with Rockets center Alperen Şengün. Initially, it appeared Green might earn an and-one opportunity, but after a lengthy review, officials reversed the call, assessing him a Flagrant 1 foul for what they deemed unnecessary contact to Şengün’s face. The decision left Green baffled and frustrated, marking his third flagrant foul of the 2024-25 NBA season and his fifth personal foul of the game.
Post-game, Green didn’t hold back. “I don’t understand it,” he said, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. “I’m going up for a layup, and somehow it’s a flagrant. It’s confusing, but it is what it is.” His blunt response underscored a sentiment shared by many Warriors fans on social media, who argued the call was overly harsh and influenced by Green’s reputation as an enforcer on the court.
The night wasn’t Green’s first tangle with Şengün. Earlier in the game, with one minute left in the second quarter, Green picked up a technical foul after an altercation with the Rockets big man, nudging him near the throat in a moment of heightened tension. While Green didn’t elaborate on the technical, it seemed to be a deliberate attempt to spark his team in a game with significant playoff implications.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, however, took a different tack. Rather than criticize the officiating, Kerr praised Green’s intensity. “I love his fire,” Kerr said after the game. “There’s a reason why we have four banners up there. Draymond’s competitiveness is what drives us, even when he’s in foul trouble.” Kerr’s defense highlighted Green’s indispensable role in Golden State’s system, despite the occasional controversy.
Fan reactions were predictably split. Warriors supporters decried the Flagrant 1 as a “reputation call,” with one writing on X, “Normal shooting motion, and Şengün was in the restricted area—should’ve been a foul on him, not Draymond.” Rockets fans, meanwhile, saw it differently, with one posting, “Green elbowed Şengün in the face—refs got it right.”
The loss drops the Warriors to a tight spot in the Western Conference standings, where they trail the Rockets by 4½ games. Green finished the night with a tough stat line, battling foul trouble that limited his impact. Yet his post-game comments suggest he wouldn’t change a thing about his approach. “I play how I play,” he said. “That’s not gonna stop.”