Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (R) totaled nine points and seven rebounds in 17:46 of action during a win over the Orlando Magic on Monday in San Francisco. Photo by John G. Mabanglo/EPA

Dec. 23 (UPI) — Draymond Green engaged in an animated verbal feud with coach Steve Kerr, left the bench and never returned during a Golden State Warriors victory over the Orlando Magic.

Green and Kerr exchanged words during a timeout in the third quarter of the 120-97 win Monday in San Francisco. The veteran forward totaled nine points and seven rebounds in 17:46 of action.

“Tempers spilled over,” Green told reporters. “I just thought it was best that I got out of there. I don’t think it was a situation where it wasn’t going to get better. It was just best to remove myself. That’s it.”

Green said “basketball,” when asked about the cause of the argument. He also said “people lose their emotions sometimes,” but did not elaborate. He expects the Warriors to move on and his relationship with Kerr to be “all right.”

The Warriors trailed 71-66 about 3:29 into the third quarter when Kerr called timeout. The Warriors coach sat in a chair, facing players, before getting into a verbal exchange with Green. The Warriors veteran eventually stood up and walked from the bench area to a Chase Center tunnel and into the locker room.

Brandin Podziemski replaced Green in the Warriors lineup.

“We got into it obviously,” Kerr said of his interaction with Green. “I took the timeout because I felt like we lost our focus a little bit.

“We had it out a little bit and he made his decision to go back to the locker room to cool off. That’s all I’m going to say about it. Everything is private.”

Kerr said he does not expect the rift to linger.

“We need Draymond,” Kerr said. “He’s a champion. We’ve been together for a long time. All we can do, the rest of the group, is keep pushing, keep getting better.”

The Warriors, who made just 3 of 18 attempts from 3-point range in the first half, drained 8 of 19 from downtown over the final 24 minutes. They outscored the Magic 62-40 in the second half, including a 31-14 edge in the fourth quarter.

Star guard Stephen Curry scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half. Forward Jimmy Butler and guard Moses Moody chipped in 21 and 20 points, respectively. Podziemski totaled 16 points off the bench.

Magic forwards Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane scored 21 and 20 points, respectively, in the loss.

Green, 35, averaged 8.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game through his first 24 appearances this season. He also logged 3.1 turnovers per game, the second-highest total of his career. His .409 shooting percentage is his second-worst mark since 2013.

The four-time All-Star, four-time NBA champion and All-NBA defender is under contract through next season.

The Warriors (15-15) will attempt to win a third consecutive game when they host the Dallas Mavericks (11-19) at 5 p.m. EST Thursday in San Francisco.

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