Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors suffered a brutal loss to the Denver Nuggets on February 2, but the night was made even worse by a startling Draymond Green absence. He entered the night as questionable to play due to right foot soreness, but he ended up missing the game altogether, despite head coach Steve Kerr noting that he expected Green to play during his pre-game press conference. After the game, Kerr provided an update on Green.
“The belief is that it’s something minor, but obviously he’ll get checked out when we get home,” Kerr said via NBC Sports Bay Area.
Golden State has been dealing with injury issues all season long, including long-term injuries to Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, which have since passed. Missing any core player for any length of time would undoubtedly have drastic effects on the team’s performance, as the Warriors have already struggled mightily this year.
As things stand, the Warriors are 26-26 on the season. Following a three-game win streak that brought their record to 28-26, they dropped two-straight games on a back-to-back, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Nuggets.
They’ve been having a hard time staying consistent all season, and this is just the latest in a long string of blunders. If Green’s injury is any worse than they currently believe, it could seriously affect their playoff hopes.
Green has been instrumental in the team’s success this year. He has appeared in 46 of the Warriors’ 52 games and is playing 31.7 minutes per contest. The veteran star is averaging 7.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on 51.4% shooting from the field and 32.5% shooting from behind the three-point line.
Stephen Curry Sounds Off After Nuggets Loss
After the Warriors’ loss to the Nuggets, in which they got blown out in the third quarter, Curry spoke about the state of the team. He hesitated before delivering his response, and during his answer, he called on his teammates to pick up the pace moving forward.
“Mostly optimistic in terms of who we’re capable of being, the flashes that we’ve shown throughout the season,” Curry said via the Jump View YouTube channel. “But very aware that we’ve got to figure some stuff out. So, somewhere right in between. Feels like everybody, including the vets, the core, needs to play better. More consistently. Some of the other questions around our rotations and our defensive mindset and just our focus on that front, we have to address that and continue to hold ourselves accountable. But if everybody raises their level of play just a little bit. And that’s why I’m optimistic, I feel like we can do that.”
Jamal Murray Praises Stephen Curry
In Denver’s win over the Warriors, Jamal Murray poured in a game-high 33 points, including 17 points in the third quarter alone. After the contest, he showed some love to Curry, praising the Warriors star’s movement.
“Just how much he moves, especially when he passes it,” Murray said via NBA.com. “He relocates to the corner with those rocket screens. We call them rocket screens. And those guys are looking, especially when Draymond is out there, they’re looking for that. It’s a cool and quick way to get threes. And even when you give up the ball, he’s still a threat. It’s just like when I hit [Nikola] Jok[ic], and I give up the ball, I’m still a threat. So, same thing.”