Draymond Green was ejected for the 31st time, and the Warriors beat the Suns anyway

Draymond Green was ejected for the first time this season, and the 31st time of his career, after receiving two technical fouls in the same sequence during Golden State's 116-113 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

With about 10 minutes left in the third quarter, Green was knocked to the court while defending Suns center Khaman Maluach under the basket.

He bounced up immediately, grabbed Maluach and was called for a personal foul, then tossed Maluach to the floor after the whistle for what officials described as a throwdown.

Phoenix forward Dillon Brooks ran from the top of the key to confront Green. The two grabbed jerseys and locked into a brief staredown before teammates separated them.

After a review, officials called a double technical on Green and Brooks, which triggered the automatic ejection for Green.

Brooks said afterwards that he was trying to de-escalate and that Green had been tweaking all game.

Steve Kerr's description was shorter. He called it great players competing and said nothing serious happened.

The sequence was the second flashpoint between these teams in nine days. They played on Oct. 24, when Phoenix got the better of it.

This time Golden State got the result, and the ejection did not change the outcome.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 34 points and seven assists, and Brandin Podziemski added 20 points on 50% shooting.

The bench is where the game turned. Charles Bassey scored 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds in 23 minutes, and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg had 16 points on 3-of-10 shooting with five rebounds and five assists.

Kerr singled out Bassey afterwards, praising the rebounding and the scoring and the pick-and-roll connection with Lendeborg.

That second unit has been the story of Golden State's turnaround, and it held up after the ejection took a starter out of the game.

Phoenix lost a game it led and lost its composure at the same time. Devin Booker fouled out, which removed the Suns' primary late-game option.

The Suns had won the earlier meeting between the teams and came in expecting to do it again, but Golden State's energy was different in the rematch.

The 116-113 margin is the kind that usually comes down to one or two late possessions, and Phoenix did not have its closer for them.

The loss leaves the Suns searching for a road win against a team that has now won five straight.

Green's disciplinary record is part of the story because it is part of his value. He is a defensive organizer and a physical presence, and the same intensity produces the technicals.

The Warriors have learned to survive his absences. Monday was another example: the rotation held, the bench produced, and Curry did the rest.

For the league, the sequence will be reviewed again, as similar ones have been before. For Golden State, it is a win and a familiar inconvenience.

The Warriors' schedule continues this week, and Green's availability will be part of the calculus.

The ejection count is the part people will remember, but the game was won by the bench. Golden State's second unit has now produced a double-digit scoring night in several straight games.

That is the difference between a team that depends on its starters and a team that can survive a technical foul in the third quarter.

Phoenix's loss is the more instructive one. The Suns had the game within reach and lost their composure and their closer in the same stretch.

Golden State's next game is another test of whether the bench production is real.

The Warriors' schedule this week includes a team with a top-five defense.

The basketball takeaway is that Golden State's margin for error no longer depends entirely on its stars. A 17-point bench night and a 34-point Curry night is enough against a good team.

The other takeaway is that Green remains the most combustible useful player in the league, and the Warriors keep building teams that can absorb the explosions.

Phoenix leaves with a loss and a lesson about composure in a game it could have won.

Golden State leaves with a fifth straight win and another story about the same player.

Golden State's record without Green for long stretches is the relevant number, because the pattern keeps repeating.

Phoenix's next game is against a team that does not pressure the ball, which should help the Suns reset.

The Warriors' bench has now outscored opposing benches in four straight games.

Kerr's postgame tone was telling: he treated the ejection as noise rather than a crisis.

The Warriors are now 6-3 since their 0-3 start.

The win moved Golden State above five hundred for the first time this season, and the bench was the reason.

The ejection also means the Warriors will get a fresh look at their bench lineups in the games that follow.

Golden State plays again on Wednesday night.