Warriors star Draymond Green choked Rudy Gobert and faces multi-game suspension

Fights and altercations occur in the NBA — but this one happened before either team had scored a basket.

With only 1:43 having elapsed on the clock of Tuesday’s In-Season Tournament game between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves, a scuffle broke out between Warriors’ star Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels of the Timberwolves.

Rudy Gobert attempted to break up the fight, but Draymond Green had other ideas. Green did his best Hulk Hogan imitation by putting Gobert in a headlock/sleeper hold.

“It’s kind of funny because before the game, I was telling myself that Steph is not playing, so I know Draymond is going to try and get ejected,” Gobert told reporters, referring to Steph Curry being out for the Warriors with right knee soreness.

“Because every time Steph doesn’t play, he doesn’t want to play – it’s his guy Steph. He’ll do anything he can to get ejected… Clown behavior, and I’m proud of myself for being the bigger man again and again. And yeah, doesn’t even deserve me putting my hands on him. My team needed me tonight. I did whatever I could to keep my cool and then show that I wasn’t making the situation worse, and I do hope that the league is going to do what needs to be done because that’s just clown behavior. Not much to say. It’s clown behavior.”

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Green likely faces a multiple-game suspension for his latest out-of control behavior.

Remember that in April Green was suspended for Game 3 of a playoff series with the Sacramento Kings after he stomped on the chest of Kings forward Domantas Sabonis and was ejected.

“The suspension was based in part on Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts,” the NBA said in part, adding that he was a “repeat offender.”

Now the NBA will hand down its latest suspension to Green in the wake of the choke hold on Gobert.

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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.