SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Golden State forward Draymond Green was ejected late in the first half of the Warriors' 123-114 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night after consecutive technical fouls for arguing with officials.
Green apparently thought there should have been a 3-second call and was ejected with 2:25 left in the second quarter. He was tossed for the second time in his last four home games — he sat out Friday's lopsided loss to Oklahoma City to rest.
“We won the game, that's all we care about, that's all he cares about,” Stephen Curry said. “I know he'd rather be out there. I don't know what he said to the ref but I didn't think it was ... the consensus in the locker room was it wasn't enough to get thrown out.”
Also during this stretch, Green left the bench following a heated exchange with coach Steve Kerr during a third-quarter timeout Dec. 22 against Orlando and then went to the locker room on his own to cool down.
Green now has nine technicals this season, and would receive an automatic one-game suspension upon reaching 16. He had eight points, three rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes of action.
Kerr said he didn't hear what Green said but called the ejection “a quick one,” saying it seemed official Kevin Cutler quickly decided to toss Green.
“I assume it was something that Kevin just wasn't going to listen to,” Kerr said.
Kerr said the Warriors need Green to be smart with his emotions.
“We need Draymond and I want him out there. I think he might be up to about nine techs,” Kerr said. “We’re not halfway through the season yet, so long way to go. We need him.”
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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)
Brooklyn Nets' Nic Claxton, left, blocks a shot by Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) strips the ball from Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.
Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.
Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.
Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.
Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.
Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."
Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.
Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."
Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”
Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.
Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
