Steph Curry dropped a game-high 28 points in the Golden State Warriors’ 118-91 blowout win over the Detroit Pistons. However, the contest between Detroit and Golden State is making headlines for other reasons.
With the game coming to an end and players clearing the court, Detroit shooting guard Rodney McGruder appeared to exchange a contentious back and forth with Golden State’s bench. During the quarrel, Klay Thompson was playing the role as a sideline reporter. While Thompson waited for Curry to take the mic for a postgame interview, the sharpshooting guard fired a shot at McGruder.
When asked what McGruder was doing while speaking with Golden State’s bench, Thompson answered with, “I don’t know. This dude might be out of the league soon. He’s probably mad about that. Who knows?” After the game, Draymond Green sounded off on McGruder, questioning when the Detroit guard became a “tough guy.”
Via @BleacherReport on Twitter:
Klay clowned Rodney McGruder after the game: “This dude might be out the league soon, he’s probably mad about that” 💀 pic.twitter.com/2VqGzqXQ4m
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 31, 2021
On Sunday, Detroit’s Wayne Ellington weighed in on the issue. The veteran shooting guard called Thompson and Green’s remarks about McGruder’s career “unprofessional and definitely no class.” Ellington went on to call Green’s criticism of his teammate “fake tough guy stuff.”
Read Ellington’s full comments via @denewsRodBeard on Twitter:
Here's a transcript of #Pistons Wayne Ellington's comments on the Rodney McGruder incident last night.
He stuck up for his guy: "I'm only going to talk about that situation once and then put it behind us. I think it's unfair for those guys to attack my man like that." pic.twitter.com/L4U181KNPk
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) January 31, 2021
Although players from each side have traded jabs, the pair of teams won’t match up on the court until next season. The Warriors have swept the season series against the Pistons with two victories.
With both the Warriors and Pistons in action against new opponents on Tuesday, the new rivalry will likely blow over.
