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As Draymond Green comes apart, motivated Warriors come together in win vs. Suns
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- As Draymond Green comes apart, motivated Warriors come together in win vs. Suns
As Draymond Green comes apart, motivated Warriors come together in win vs. Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – For all that Draymond Green has done, and still does, for the Warriors, they did not come together Monday night until after he came apart.
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The Warriors spent their first 26 minutes in futile pursuit of the Phoenix Suns and trailed by 11 when Green was assessed with two technical fouls, receiving an automatic disqualification two minutes into the second half.
Golden State's response was 22 minutes of grit and determination – and defense – to overtake Phoenix for a 116-113 victory that allowed the Warriors to walk off the floor with their first five-game win streak since April 2025.
With Stephen Curry pouring in 25 of his game-high 34 points in the second half, the Warriors outscored the Suns by 14 (59-45) in Green's absence.
"He lit a fire in all of us and we had to respond," Curry said. "I'm glad we did.
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"It was a combination of that moment and having our brother's back when he defends us. But it was also understanding this is one of those games where most of (our) guys were on a back-to-back and Phoenix had been off for a couple of days. They were 1-3 and we knew they were going to come out playing desperate."
The Suns owned the first quarter, puncturing Golden State's defense for 31 points on 60-percent shooting from the field and leading by as much as 17 before the Warriors shook off their lethargy in the second quarter.
Green was assessed his first technical foul with 10 minutes left in the third quarter when he vigorously retaliated to a shove from Phoenix center Khaman Maluach . That sent combative Suns forward Dillon Brooks charging in to physically confront Green for a brief scuffle and some mutual jersey grabbing. After officials reviewed the activity, both players received technical fouls, with Draymond departing because it was his second.
The Warriors composed themselves and went on a 16-5 run, pulling into a 73-73 tie on a Curry midrange jumper with 6:47 remaining. From that point on, the momentum generally rode with them.
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"It fueled our team," Brandin Podziemski said. "We didn't have that edge to us to start the game. Found it a little bit in the second quarter and then they came out in the third quarter pretty well, and then (the ejection) kind of changed the game for us. Everybody locked in a little bit more and came together for Dray. I think it was needed. Maybe he sensed it, maybe he didn't. But it helped us."
The weirdest part of all is that Golden State played its best defense without its best defender. The Suns shot 43.2 percent from the field, including 26.7 percent beyond the arc, after Green was banished.
"It's rare when that happens," coach Steve Kerr said of the oddity. "But I think it was more just about us catching up to the energy that that phoenix was showing that whole first half. We got engaged; the game was tight the whole second half and our guys summoned the energy necessary to win a game on a back-to-back."
Podziemski scored 11 of his 20 points during the post-Draymond comeback, while backup center Charles Bassey filled in wonderfully for Green. The much-traveled – five NBA teams in six years – 26-year-old produced 10 points and six rebounds. He finished with a career-high 19 points and eight rebounds over 23 minutes.
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The more Bassey plays, the more his value becomes apparent. He's 6-foot-10, an active presence in the paint with a soft shooting touch. His performance was by any metric superior to the work Green submitted during his 17 minutes (four points, for rebounds, two assists).
Which isn't to suggest it's time to bench Green. He still brings immense value, especially when the stakes rise, whether it's the significance of the game or a personal matchup against an opposing star.
But Golden State's center rotation looks better than it did when training camp opened without Kristaps Porzingis
. Green and Bassey, along with rookie Graham Ike, bring different attributes, and all are needed.
The five-game win streak, which followed three straight losses to open the season, is slowly making a believer of the coach.
"Winning those two games on the road in Denver and Minnesota kind of righted the ship," Kerr said. "And now we've carried the momentum forward, so we turned a bad start into a good start. Now we've got to keep it going."
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That's always the biggest challenge, and there is no doubt Draymond will be an asset to this roster. Usually by his presence, but on this night by his absence.
