The Golden State Warriors have dodged a bullet.
Draymond Green will take the floor for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday despite rampant speculation that he would face suspension after kicking the Oklahoma City Thunder's Steven Adams below the belt in the second quarter of Sunday's matchup -- the second time in two games that he struck the New Zealander in the groin.
Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Monday that the NBA had opted against suspending the Warriors' defensive anchor. He will instead receive a $25,000 fine and his foul has been upgraded to a Flagrant 2, the league announced over Twitter.
“After a thorough investigation that included review of all available video angles and interviews with the players involved and the officials working the game, we have determined that Green's foul was unnecessary and excessive and warranted the upgrade and fine,” Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations, said in a statement.
“During a game, players – at times – flail their legs in an attempt to draw a foul,” VanDeWeghe added. "But Green's actions in this case warranted an additional penalty.”
Green -- one of the NBA's most valuable players and the key to much of the Warriors' success this year -- refused to admit any wrongdoing after Game 3, claiming that the kick was merely part of his follow through.
Many had speculated that the league had no choice but to suspend Green after handing the Cleveland Cavaliers' Dahntay Jones a one-game suspension hours before Sunday kicking Toronto Raptor Bismack Biyombo in the groin in the final moments of Saturday's contest, just one day before Green's own kick.
And with Green sending a similar, if not worse, jab Adams' way just hours later, the league's hand was forced. Green's one-game suspension had previously seemed all but inevitable, until it wasn't.
Down 2-1 with their backs against the wall, the lack of a suspension is just the stroke of good luck the Warriors. Of course, many NBA conspiracy theorists will inevitably see it as much more than that. On to Game 4.
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