The Golden State Warriors lost to the Charlotte Hornets 102-100 at Spectrum Center on Saturday. Their ace Stephen Curry was pulled out of the game right before it started. According to the Warriors, Curry was not feeling well but he did not test positive for COVID-19.

However, despite not having their best player, the Warriors came so close to claiming victory, leading 100-98 with only 13.3 seconds left. Then Draymond Green received two technical fouls after roaring toward both the opponents and the referees, though both coach Steve Kerr and his teammate Marquese Chriss tried to stop him.

Green's move led to two consequences: First, he was ejected; second, the Hornets got two free throws and made both, tying the game 100-100. That score saved them from needing to score on their last offensive possession, though they did when Rozier drained a two-point perimeter shot to help the Hornets win at home.

Five of the Warriors reached double-digit points; Green was not one of them but he ruined their efforts with his temper. Official Marc Davis defended the ejection call after the game. According to him, the first technical was for Green "verbally taunting an opponent" and the second was for his "direct screaming profanity at an official."

"Draymond can't do that. He made a terrible mistake. He knows that," said Kerr after the game.

Other games on Saturday (away teams come first):

Miami Heat 96-94 Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers suffered their second consecutive loss after Alex Caruso missed the team's last shot. This was far from a smooth game as both sides were under 45 percent in field goals and 30 percent in 3-pointers.

When the two teams met in the NBA Finals last season, Jimmy Butler had to lead a squad haunted by injuries of key players including Goran Dragic and Jusuf Nurkic to challenge the purple and gold. It was LeBron James' turn to feel a similar pain on Saturday as both Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder sat on the game. Dropping 19 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and shooting 1-8 from downtown was not the best James could do, but he needs to catch a break for the longer-term good of both himself and the Lakers.

Sacramento Kings 114-122 Chicago Bulls

Zach Lavine brought the Bulls to victory with incredible efficiency by going 15-20 in field goals to score a game-high 38 points at United Center. Making three of his six attempts behind the 3-point line was good enough, but going 9-9 under the rim is something else. The two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion missed last season's All-Star Game at home, will he be picked for the backup lineup for Atlanta this time?

Phoenix Suns 128-97 Memphis Grizzlies

The Suns buried 24 triples at FexExForum on Saturday to break franchise record of making 3-pointers in one single game and beat the Grizzlies to pocket the second win in a row. Devin Booker got 23 points in the first three quarters before the game was a forgone conclusion.

Of course, Saturday night's cheers all went to 35-year-old Chris Paul who delivered six assists, which took him over Oscar Robertson to rank No. 6 on the NBA All-Time Assists Leaders list. Sitting at 9,888, Paul is now looking at the only five guys who had over 10,000 assists in league history: John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (12,091), Steve Nash (10,335), Mark Jackson (10,334) and Magic Johnson (10,141).

Washington Wizards 118-111 Portland Trail Blazers

The Wizards seemed to be on the correct track as they defeated the Trail Blazers to accomplish their fourth straight win. Bradley Beal shot 2-8 from the arc but he still put down 37 points. Russell Westbrook had 27 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists and the eight triple-double of the season.

Damian Lillard was on roller coaster in this game. He first went 2-13 in the first half to get only six points but then was perfect 5-5 in triples to score 23 points in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Lillard again saw his hands freeze missing eight of nine field goal attempts. In the end, his 10-30 shooting performance failed to extend Rip City's winning streak to seven.