Games between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers are usually must-watch affairs, and tonight was the same, even with opposing superstars Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry sitting out. The energy between the two sides caught fire, and by the fourth quarter, the frustration was simmering beneath the surface, involving Draymond Green.

With about eight minutes left in the fourth, Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt drove in, looking to take it to the rim, before being fouled hard from behind by Green. It was an extremely hard foul, with Green swiping across Vanderbilt’s head, hitting his arm on it as the Lakers forward tumbled to the ground.

Notably, despite being called for the foul, Green didn’t end up receiving a flagrant penalty, something that the ESPN commentators indicated was a possibility.

“He got him in the noogie,” Richard Jefferson joked. “He’s gonna give him a head-lock.”

Immediately afterwards, on the very next possession, Vanderbilt seemingly pushed Green as the Warriors forward ran to start the offensive set. Things didn’t escalate from there, as the two teams kept it on the floor in a mostly competitive game that slipped away late for the visitors.

That’s not where things started, however. Fans immediately connected what seemed like an unexpectedly hard foul from Green to an earlier moment in the game.

Doncic, sitting out tonight’s game, was arguing with a referee about one of the calls when Green walked up to them, jawing at Doncic as the two started chirping at each other, before eventually smiling and separating. However, as clips of the interaction surfaced, many pointed out one clear sign.

Vanderbilt, who has often been described as an “enforcer” or a “bodyguard” to help manage opposing offensive threats, hovered near the interaction, circling the area as the conversation seemed to intensify, with viewers seemingly interpreting his body language as that of a protector, making sure Doncic was fine as the two talked.

This was just a snapshot of tonight’s matchup.

Shorthanded Lakers Grind Out Win Over Draymond Green-led Warriors

As the Lakers battled for their third straight win, the usually marquee rivalry game was turned into a gritty test of execution, with LA eventually grinding out a 105-99 win over the shorthanded Warriors at Crypto.com Arena by leaning on effort and timely shooting.

Forward Rui Hachimura started in Doncic’s place, opening scoring with the first three of the game, while Jaxson Hayes filled in for late-scratch center Deandre Ayton. LA struggled early, falling into an ice-cold first quarter, which was only stabilized by Luke Kennard, who played his first game since being traded to the team.

Golden State led 42-41 at the half, despite LeBron James coming alive to spark offense in the second quarter. Pat Spencer gave the Warriors the lead with a buzzer-beating shot, but Draymond Green’s technical foul at the halfway mark seemed to sap some of their momentum.

This proved devastating because the Lakers caught fire to open the second half. Austin Reaves tied the game off Green’s technical free throw, and James followed it up with nine straight points to blow the game open.

From there, LA went on a clutch shooting run, with Hachimura and Kennard knocking down key triples while Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt finishing at the rim, stretching the lead to double digits before closing it out.