PHOENIX -- Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected from Tuesday night's 119-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns after receiving a flagrant foul 2 in the second half.

The ejection is his third of the season, and he now will have to await a league office review for the possibility of another suspension.

Green was ejected with 8:23 left in the third quarter after he swung and hit Phoenix's Jusuf Nurkic in the head while defending him. At first, while Green's back was turned to Nurkic, he repeatedly held Nurkic off of him. Eventually, Green turned and hit Nurkic in the head with his hand. Officials deemed the foul a flagrant 2 after a video review.

"I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn't intend to hit him," Green said after the game. "I sell calls with my arms ... so I was selling the call ... and I swung and unfortunately I hit him."

Three ejections is tied for Green's most in a season. His first this season came after he picked up two technical fouls against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 11. His second came against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 14 when he put Rudy Gobert in a headlock. The NBA suspended Green for five games after the latter incident, with the league citing Green's history as a repeat offender for the length of the suspension.

"We need him. We need Draymond. He knows that," coach Steve Kerr said. "We've talked to him. He's got to find a way to keep his poise and be out there for his teammates."

Green acknowledged Kerr's message.

"Like I said, if I intended to do that, then I would feel awful about not being there," Green said. "But my intentions were just to sell the foul.

"You guys have known me long enough, if I intended to do something, I am not apologizing. But I did make contact with him, so I do apologize. ... It's a hard hit."

Nurkic said Green's actions "had nothing to do with basketball," and Suns coach Frank Vogel called it "a reckless, dangerous play."

"I'm sensitive to our guys getting hit on plays like that," Vogel said. "I didn't like it. The refs did what they had to do. The league will do what they have to do."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.