For the fourth time in this young NBA season, Draymond Green made a game-clinching defensive stop to preserve a Golden State Warriors victory. With time ticking down and New Orleans Pelicans’ super star Anthony Davis primed for a score-tying shot, Green made a perfectly timed swipe to dislodge the ball, steal the possession, and play Warriors hero yet again.
In a back-and-forth contest that saw both teams light up the score board, it was Green, the guy that scored 12 points, that had the loudest say in the outcome. Davis spent most of the night absolutely mowing down the Warriors’ front line to the tune of 28 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and 5 blocks, but with the game on the line, he found himself matched up against one of the best defenders in the game and, on this occasion, the Defensive Player of the Year candidate won the battle.
Golden State finished 4-1 on the five-game road trip and improved to 22-4 on the season.
Here are 10 thoughts on the game:
1. Draymond came up with a game-deciding block to seal a win in Phoenix. He brilliantly timed an inbounds pass intended for Giannis Antetokounmpo and tapped it away to save a victory in Milwaukee. In Oracle, versus the Hawks, he snuffed Dennis Shroder’s shot and further humiliated the poor dude by throwing the ball off of him. And now we get the latest display of Draymond’s defensive prowess. Going up against one of the best young players in the league, and a legitimate future MVP candidate, Dray made the play of the game by punching the ball out of AD’s hands, securing the ball, and sinking both free throws. Like Steph and KD can clinch a game on the offensive end, Draymond Green is the Warriors’ defensive closer. Like he said weeks ago, don’t go at him for game.
2. Oh, Dray also had his first triple double of the season: 12 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists.
3. The defense was terrible early but it came up big late. After surrendering 107 points in the game’s first three-and-a-half quarters, the Warriors managed to clamp down defensively for the final four minutes and 45 seconds, holding the Pellies to a mere two points while not giving up a single field goal. Draymond might have made the final stop, but Kevin Durant had two monster blocks to erase four for-sure points. One came via an out-of-nowhere chase down block and the other came off the weak side on a streaking Davis. Golden State might not have a traditional big man to anchor the defense but Dray and KD have shown that they are more than capable of locking in and cleaning up others’ mistakes.
4. It’s been a rough road trip for Durant shooting-wise, but he had a nice bounce-back effort hitting 10-of-19 and going for 27 points. I’ve been watching the Warriors for decades and I can’t remember the last time they had an athletic big guy that could consistently streak down the court and jam on a guy’s head. Maybe C-Webb in ’94?
5. Tim Fraser continues to quietly wreak havoc on the Dubs. In three games he’s averaging a tidy 15 points and 9 assists on over 50 percent shooting. Not bad for a guy who sounds more like a clairvoyant psychic than NBA player.
6. Warriors’ Twitter might have been all abuzz for JaVale McGee’s first start, but I prefer having the bouncy big man come off the bench. One, I like McGee as a change-of-pace player who can take advantage of slow-footed bigs, and if he doesn’t have it that night, Steve Kerr can yank him after a minute or two (like in that comical sequence in Toronto where he was fouling dudes left and right and picking off his teammates’ passes). Two, with the starters, McGee is forced into uncomfortable spots and I’m scared to death whenever he has the ball outside of the lane. Anything can happen out there — a turnover, an ill-advised jumper, the ball combusting in his hands. Nothing would shock me. It’s like watching a child holding a knife. Let’s just avoid that scene altogether before someone gets hurt.
7. How loud will the ovation be for Zaza Pachulia in his next start at Oracle. After watching Varejao and Looney and McGee bounce around in the middle, I imagine Dubs fans will be a little more appreciative of the steady (if ground-bound) center.
8. How high on the “Opponent Inexplicably Giving Out Dap to the Other Team” scale is Darren Erman’s high-five to Steph (Erman was an assistant under Mark Jackson)? It’s not quite as bad as when Shawn Kemp dunked all over Chris Gatling and got some love, but it’s close. (I wrote this just to mention former Warrior and All-Star, Chris Gatling.)
9. With his 3-point stroke going missing the last five games, Curry found an opportune time to play the Pelicans. After knocking down an NBA-record 13 triples the last time these two teams faced off, the MVP hit 5-of-9 from downtown and put up a game-high 30 points against the team he loves to torture.
10. In the battle of Young Big Supremacy, I’ll take Anthony Davis over Karl-Anthony Towns — with Kristaps Porzingis and his unicorn a distant third. Davis has already done what many hope Towns will do: lead his team in points, rebounds, blocks, steals; be an anchor defensively; record multiple seasons of historically great PER; and, most importantly, take his team to the playoffs. If not for a worrisome injury history, I don’t think this argument would be particularly close.