During Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Monday night, a shoving altercation broke out between players from the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets midway through the second quarter, leading to three technical fouls. The game, which saw the Warriors win 109-106, was already filled with tension as tempers flared again just before halftime.
With the score tied at 36, Warriors star Stephen Curry dribbled down the sideline when teammate Draymond Green set a hard screen on Houston’s Amen Thompson. Dillon Brooks fouled Curry and then seemed to get frustrated about the push, confronting both Curry and Green.
Green commented, “I got a technical tonight and there were guys way more aggressive than me, so that’s crazy. They were trying to muddy the game up, but it’s fine.” Curry received a technical for “taunting” Brooks, who also earned a technical along with Green. Green, referring to Brooks’ two fouls at the time, said, “All he said was that’s two. There’s been way more taunting than that in this series. But, hey, it is what it is, I like it.”
Warriors rookie Quinten Post and Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. also exchanged gestures, but officials didn’t issue any technical fouls after reviewing the replay.
Later in the quarter, with 2:44 left, Green was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for pushing Rockets forward Tari Eason’s face to the floor, while Eason received a technical foul as well. The altercation occurred when Eason attempted a steal from Green, causing both players to hit the floor. Green’s leg ended up on Eason’s neck as they both scrambled for the loose ball.
Rocket center Steven Adams commented on the physicality, saying, “It’s just part of the game. It’s highly competitive out there. Playoffs are a different level of competition from the regular season, from any of that. Look, people are just playing hard. Sometimes things happen. It’s not ill-intentioned. I think you’re just trying to win.”
With the Warriors leading the series 3-1, they can clinch the win in Wednesday’s Game 5 at the Rockets’ home floor. Curry appreciated his team’s composure after the physical altercations, noting, “There were more reviews, every game has been physical, and there have been moments. You expect two teams to not like each other at this point. You don’t want the antics to distract from the game.”
The teams already had a history of bad blood. In Game 3, Jimmy Butler returned from a pelvic contusion injury suffered in Game 2 from a hard foul by Thompson. Butler was injured while attempting to secure a rebound when Thompson undercut him, causing Butler to land painfully on his tailbone. Butler briefly stayed in to shoot free throws before heading to the locker room.
On Friday, Brooks defended Thompson, calling Green a “dirty” player. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacted, saying, “Dillon said that? Interesting.”
Brooks had previously been involved in a controversy while with Memphis three years ago when he committed a Flagrant 2 foul on Gary Payton II during Game 2 of the 2022 Western Conference semifinals, which resulted in Payton fracturing his elbow. Payton eventually returned for Game 2 of the NBA Finals, where the Warriors defeated Boston in six games.
After Payton fouled Brooks in Game 3, he was asked about the incident and replied with a smile, “I didn’t see it.”
When Butler was asked about his feelings toward Brooks and the rivalry between the two, he didn’t hold back. “No, we’re not having fun. Give me this, I don’t like Dillon Brooks,” he said. “We’re never having fun. I’m a fierce competitor. He’s a fierce competitor. There ain’t nothing fun about that.”
