Despite the Golden State Warriors suffering a tough 109-114 loss against the Brandon Ingram-less New Orleans Pelicans, Steve Kerr was proud of the performance that his boys put up. Apart from shedding light on the team’s competitive spirit, Kerr also lauded Draymond Green for recording a one-of-a-kind performance.
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Draymond Green recorded 12 rebounds and 11 assists while scoring 0 points in tonight’s clash, per NBA.com. The performance makes Green the first player in NBA history to record a double-double without recording even a single field goal or free throw attempt, per StatMuse.
While Green scored no points tonight, he did an exceptional job on the defensive end. Primarily guarding Zion Williamson, ‘Dray’ restricted the Pelicans forward to hitting merely 11 of his 26 field goal attempts. While Williamson’s 26-point outing eventually led the Louisiana side to clinch the win, Dray’s defensive efforts allowed the Warriors to stay in the game for as long as possible.
Amidst the loss, Steve Kerr counted Green’s efforts as a massively positive takeaway from the encounter. During the postgame conference, the head coach explained just how impressed he was with his 6ft 6” forward.
“I don’t care if Draymond shoots or doesn’t shoot. He does everything else. He was incredible tonight. His defense was so good, his competitiveness… it was amazing to watch,” Kerr said.
Trailing by 16 points midway into the third quarter, several analysts and enthusiasts must’ve expected the Bay Area side to suffer a blowout loss. However, with Steph Curry leading the team with 16 fourth-quarter points, the 2022 champs were able to cut down the lead to merely 3 points in the dying minutes of the game. Kerr lauded the same efforts.
“Here we are, fighting for the play-in, these guys are Hall-Of-Famers and you see the effort that they gave. The fight to get back in the game to give ourselves the chance. Beautiful. It wasn’t the result we wanted but they showed you who they are,” the 58-year-old said.
While the Dubs may have lost this game, Kerr can’t be faulted for highlighting Draymond Green’s performance. The franchise has been suspect on defense on too many occasions this season. So, for Green to not only display so much heart on that side of the floor but to also dish the assists he did is no small task. With the play-in tournament just around the corner, it could give this team the boost they need to get through to the playoffs.
That said, the Warriors had a great chance to move up to the 9th spot in the standings with the Sacramento Kings losing their battle against the Phoenix Suns. Now, with the Los Angeles Lakers grabbing a win against the Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron James and co. are in the 8th spot.
The Golden State Warriors could finish as the 8th seed if they defeat the Utah Jazz on Sunday and the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings were to lose their respective matchups. However, with De’Aaron Fox and Co. playing the struggling Portland Trail Blazers, it is more than likely that the Warriors finish the regular season as the 9th or the 10th.
Clearly, the competition to clinch the 8th spot in the standings is just as competitive as the three-team race for the #1 seed.
