Behind Draymond Green, Warriors close out road trip strong

Like this season as a whole, this road trip was bumpy for Draymond Green.

In Orlando, he earned his first ejection since returning from his indefinite suspension — drama that led to a visibly exasperated Steph Curry. He took ownership for the outburst on his podcast. He helped shut down Bam Adebayo in Miami and anchored an improved defense that led to a three-game win streak.

Then against San Antonio, Green played a vintage third-quarter stretch that swung the game. The Warriors won the third by 16, evaporating a slow start. Green was in the thick of it, carrying the Warriors on both ends.

Green hit the game-sealing free throw with 3.9 seconds, finishing with 21 points, 11 assists and a season-high six steals. Curry added his 27th 30-point game of the season to push Golden State (40-34) past the finish line.

“Draymond was incredible tonight. That was a defensive masterpiece,” Steve Kerr told reporters postgame.

The Warriors’ 117-113 victory caps a 4-1 road trip, with wins over the Spurs, Magic, Heat and Hornets. Their only loss came in a tight defeat to the contending Timberwolves. As the Rockets continue surging, the Warriors’ four-game winning streak is staving them off.

In their three-game winning streak, the Warriors had been jumping out ahead of their opponents early. They held the Magic to 11 points in the first quarter (on 3-for-22 shooting) and the Hornets to 17. But in San Antonio, the Spurs struck first.

A massive 17-2 run pushed the Spurs ahead by 13 in the first. The Warriors fumbled away five turnovers, several of which were unforced, and were a step slow in transition.

The period was a stark contrast to how Golden State had defended this week, when they committed to getting back on defense and benefitted from some shooting luck. Steve Kerr, fed up with his team’s start and a missed call, picked up a technical foul for berating an official on the court.

Golden State recovered from their slow start, but still struggled to get prolonged stops.

Part of that could’ve been because they were missing Jonathan Kuminga for a third straight game. Kuminga — who warmed up but couldn’t go in San Antonio — ruled out with bilateral knee tendinitis.

Without Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins has stepped up as a scorer. But he and Klay Thompson were cold against San Antonio, leaving a void.

Green, of all people, filled it. In a 14-0 run to start the third quarter, Green scored two buckets plus a 3-pointer. The Warriors held San Antonio to a five-minute scoring drought — finally, the level of defense they needed — to take their first lead since the opening minutes.

As much of a force as Victor Wembanyama (32 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals) is defensively, Green often out-thought the 20-year-old. He used interior touch passes and Curry’s gravity to take attention away from him and create lanes to score inside.

Green also generated two steals in quick succession, leading to fast break buckets for Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton II. The eight-time All-Defensive player took over the game. For Golden State’s best defensive stretches, they played Green at center without Trayce Jackson-Davis, who started alongside him.

Green, who hasn’t averaged double-digits scoring in a season since 2017-18, scored 11 of his 21 points in the game-changing third. The Warriors won the period 37-21, turning an eight-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Wembanyama dunked on Jackson-Davis — revenge for the Warriors rookie’s earlier poster — and threatened to take over the fourth. He scored San Antonio’s first nine points, bringing the Spurs within four.

But Green and Curry returned from their scheduled rest and shut the Spurs down. Green poked away an outlet pass for his fifth steal and connected with Curry on a backdoor cut for his ninth assist. Curry sank a step-back 3 over Sandro Mamukelashvili.

Green finished over Wembanyama and then notched his sixth steal. The Spurs kept hitting 3s and went on a 9-0 run as Golden State committed a string of crunch-time turnovers, coming within two with a minute left.

In danger of a brutal collapse, Green came up with an offensive rebound and kicked out for a Klay Thompson 3. Then, with five seconds left, Green’s effort on the offensive glass drew a Wembanyama foul that secured the win for Golden State — adding to their 22-15 record away from Chase Center.

“To be on the road for eight days and do what we just did, that’s a sign of a really good team,” Kerr said.