SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and forward Draymond Green had a heated exchange during an early third-quarter timeout Monday night, causing Green to leave the bench and miss the final 20 minutes of a 120-97 win over the Orlando Magic.
The Warriors were trailing 71-66 at the time of the back-and-forth. Green had just committed a turnover and had been engaging with an official when Kerr called timeout and tried to herd his team to the huddle, saying he felt they were unfocused. That's when the argument occurred.
"We had it out a little bit," Kerr said. "He made his decision to go back to the locker room to cool off. That's all I'm going to say about it. Everything is private."
Starting wing Moses Moody and assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse tried to calm Green. After some final words with Kerr, Green stood up and walked down the tunnel to the locker room.
"Tempers spilled over, and I thought it was best that I get out of there," Green said. "I don't think it was a situation where it was going to get better. It was best to remove myself."
Green spent the final 8:31 of the third quarter in the locker room. Veteran teammates Jimmy Butler III, Al Horford and Buddy Hield along with a couple of front office members went back to check on him.
Green returned to the bench prior to the fourth quarter, but he didn't remove his warmups and never checked back into the game. Kerr said he wouldn't have gone back to Green.
"No," Kerr said. "He wasn't going back in. No. He left. He went back to the locker room. We moved forward, and the guys played great."
It was the second straight game that Green had departed prematurely. He was ejected after playing only eight minutes in Saturday's home win over the Phoenix Suns and was only on the floor for 18 minutes before choosing to depart Monday night.
"We need Draymond," Kerr said. "He's a champion. We've been together for a long time.
"It's unfortunate what happened, but it happened."
After Green left, the Warriors surged into the lead behind a perfect stretch of shooting from Stephen Curry, who made all six of his shots in the third quarter.
Curry finished with 26 points. Butler added 21. The Warriors ran away with it in the fourth quarter to win by 23 points, but the Kerr and Green argument overshadowed the positive vibes of a two-game win streak that bumped the previously struggling Warriors back to a .500 record at 15-15.
"The questions are a little bit more negative than they should be," Curry said. "I get why you're asking them, but downstairs right now, the DJ has a good playlist going, the guys are getting their work in and we're having a good time because we're winning."
"We've been at this now for a long time. Sometimes you're with people for a long time and there's a level of comfort and s--- happens. We move forward." Draymond Green
During the Warriors' two most recent losses, Green committed 13 combined turnovers, generating some heat about his play. Kerr has been drilling his team about lackluster ball security.
But the Green turnover prior to his argument with Kerr on Monday was only his first of the night, and Kerr said he thought Green played well in the first half.
"I'm not frustrated at all," Green said. "I had one turnover today. I had the ball the whole time I was in the game. I know how to fix problems when they're a problem. I had one turnover in my minutes. I essentially ran our offense."
An hour after the game, Green said he still hadn't spoken with Kerr about the incident but made a point to get in front of reporters in an effort to diffuse the situation. Kerr also said there wouldn't be lingering effects. The two have engaged in several arguments on the court and in the locker room during their 12 seasons together.
"We've been at this now for a long time," Green said. "Sometimes you're with people for a long time and there's a level of comfort and s--- happens. We move forward."