Draymond Green put on an absolute clinic against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. And fans are not going to let the ‘Greek Freak’ forget that night in a hurry. What’s more, to rub salt into the wound, they’re dragging in Nikola Jokic as well!
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It should have been Giannis’s night out. Despite playing at home, the odds were stacked against the Golden State Warriors as they had to deal with the might of Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard —without Stephen Curry. They were also coming into the game after a loss to the Denver Nuggets, breaking their seven-game winning streak.
But the game didn’t play out quite as expected. All thanks to Green and Jimmy Butler, who had other ideas. In Steph’s absence, Butler took over the production responsibility, scoring 24 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists in their 104-93 win.
Despite a fight back by the Bucks, the Warriors roster stepped up to the challenge, with five players, including Butler, scoring in double digits. But the game was won as much by Green’s game-winning contribution on the defensive end, choking the Bucks attack. In fact, the way he locked up Antetokounmpo was almost a reflection of his 2017 DPOY season.
Green single-handedly disarmed Giannis’ offense, holding him scoreless on individual matchups throughout the game. The Greek Freak went 0-6 from the field while guarded by Green, which affected his overall output. He closed the game with 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, way under his 30.2 PPG average in the 2024-25 season.
Fans were quick to heap praise on Green while trolling Giannis. They brought Nikola Jokic and the MVP race into the conversation. One fan wrote that “Draymond [is] making sure Jokic gets that MVP award” by stifling Giannis.
Draymond making sure Jokic gets that MVP award
— TIPLO (@tiplomokhele) March 19, 2025
The failure of the Bucks superstar gave one fan the perfect ammunition to question those who were claiming that he was better than Jokic: “Y’all were really saying Giannis > Jokic early in the season?”
Green is one of the best defensive players in the league and has eight NBA All-Defensive team selections. Despite that, one fan gave him a backhanded compliment, “Getting clamped by Draymond is just outrageous.”
The win, Golden State’s eighth in the last 10 outings, pushed the team to sixth in the West with a 40-29 record. The Warriors seem on track for a deep playoff run.
They will definitely get stronger when Steph comes back, which won’t be long since he isn’t injured. As per Steve Kerr, the superstar took a day off on Tuesday due to “mental and emotional fatigue”.
