Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
Draymond Green is banged up but the Golden State Warriors veteran is pushing through the pain as the defending champs battle for playoff positioning.
Green briefly left Sunday’s game against the Lakers after aggravating the wrist injury. He returned with a wrap on his hand and played 31 minutes in the 113-105 loss. Green spoke to ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters about the injury, explaining that it initially happened on March 1 against the Blazers.
“I messed it up against Portland earlier in the week, so it’s just one of those things where every time it gets caught, it hurts pretty bad,” Green told Salters. “But X-rays negative, so just got to fight through the pain.”
The Warriors have 17 games left and every contest matters in a packed Western Conference. Golden State is currently the No. 5 seed in the West at 34-31 but are just a game ahead of the eighth-place Clippers. Green said after the game that the wrist is sore but he made no qualms about playing through the injury.
“It is what it is. Nobody’s that healthy at this point in the season,” Green said. “Just keep pushing.”
Green is averaging 8.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists this season. While he rarely stands out in the box score, the defensive intensity and leadership he provides for the Warriors is tremendously valuable for the Warriors at this time of year.
Stephen Curry Returns to Lineup For Warriors
While the news on Green is grim, the Warriors did get Stephen Curry back on Sunday after a month-long absence due to a left leg injury. The two-time MVP took some time to get going but finished with 27 points — 19 of those coming in the fourth quarter.
“It felt great to get thrown back in there right away,” Curry said. “If I get better as the game goes on, that’s always a great sign for me individually. Even though we lost, some bright spots for sure.”
The loss stopped a five-game win streak for the Warriors, who appeared to be hitting their stride at the right time. Curry understands that it might take some time for the team to adjust with both he and Andre Iguodala returning to the rotation.
“The way the guys have been playing over the last five games and the stretch that we had at home, it’s a tough transition for everybody,” Curry said. “Just guys trying to keep their rhythm, keep their confidence. That’s our challenge as a team. We have to maintain trust in each other because we are all aiming to win at the highest level.”
Home Court Important For Warriors
Being able to wrangle home court for the first round of the postseason is important for the Warriors, who are 27-7 at home this season.
“We have an outside shot of getting home-court advantage,” Curry said. “It’s weird to say, we’re still trying to win championships but we’re trying to avoid the play-in. Both can be true. … Until we get beat, we still feel we’re a tough matchup for anybody. That is the confidence we’ve got to have down the stretch.”
The Warriors currently have the fifth-best odds to win the title at +1,500, per FanDuel Sportsbook. Only the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets have better odds.