Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
Draymond Green will be back in the lineup for the Golden State Warriors in Sunday’s Game 4 against the Sacramento Kings, after serving his suspension for Friday’s Game 3. However, Green would be in his normal role. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, he’ll be coming off of the bench.
“Warriors are bringing Draymond Green off the bench today in his return from suspension for Game 4 vs. Kings, sources tell me and Anthony Slater,” Charania reported in a tweet. “Golden State’s Game 3 winning starters were Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney.”
Warriors are bringing Draymond Green off the bench today in his return from suspension for Game 4 vs. Kings, sources tell me and @anthonyVslater. Golden State’s Game 3 winning starters were Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney.
Charania added that the decision, in part, came from Green, who’d suggested it to Steve Kerr the day prior.
“The suggestion of coming off the bench was in part from Draymond Green, who had a conversation about it with Steve Kerr on Saturday, sources tell me and Anthony Slater,” Charania added.
Green started in each of his 73 regular-season appearances for the Dubs this year. He did come off the bench in a pair of games last season, after coming off of a lower back injury that sidelined him for two months.
Golden State was able to pick up a key win in Game 3 despite Green’s absence, beating the Kings 114-97.
Draymond Green Issued Challenge to Warriors Prior to Game 3
Though Green didn’t suit up for Friday’s massive victory, he did share a message with his teammates before tip-off.
Warriors guard Moses Moody shared the anecdote of the 33-year-old’s “inspirational talk’ with 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs,” during a recent interview.
“Draymond came in and gave a pretty inspirational talk,” Moody told the hosts, via 95.7 The Game’s YouTube page. “Just letting everybody know we gotta step up. We gotta take on our role and his role… He called out guys by name, saying we going to need you to step up this game. We’re going to need more from you than what we usually get. So, when he gets personal like that in those conversations and the way that he took over the conversation and addressed the elephant in the room, how he got suspended, how he won’t be playing, and how it’s still a must win game.”
The young guard was able to give the Warriors some good minutes off the bench in Game 3. Moody scored a quick 13 points while knocking down 4-of-7 attempts from the field, in just 16 minutes.
Stephen Curry Praises Warriors Bench After Big Win Over Kings
Moody’s solid contribution was enough to catch the attention of Curry, who praised him, as well as Donte DiVincenzo, Jonathan Kuminga, and the rest of the Warriors’ bench, when speaking to the media Friday night.
“Donte [DiVincenzo] played amazing off the bench. Mo [Moody] gave us great minutes. JK [Kumings], the same,” Curry said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “[JaMychal], A-Lamb, everybody who stepped foot on the floor in the rotations understood the assignments and did it to the best of their ability. So, when we get our two guys back, we got to continue to do that with whatever you’re asked to do. And we have a great opportunity to even the series on Sunday and take it from there.”
Though the 3-point king shifted the attention to Golden State’s rotation players, it was his offensive outburst that helped the team to the comfortable result.
Curry finished the night with 36 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists to down the Kings on Friday.