Draymond Green is the double-edged sword the Golden State Warriors have wielded for the last 15 NBA seasons. On one hand, his defensive intensity and heads-up playmaking have helped unlock the Warriors on both ends, especially during the peak of their powers in the 2010s. Yet at the same time, that same fire has, at many times, burned the Warriors as well.
From blow-ups with coaches and teammates to scuffles with opponents, there have been many moments across Green's career in which he had cost the Warriors victories. For a while, it seemed that a similar moment would come to bear on Monday night as Green got into a scuffle with longtime nemesis Dillon Brooks, earning an ejection.
With the Warriors already missing Al Horford and not having much frontcourt depth, it seemed like Green's ejection would diminish the Warriors' chances of getting a win, especially since they were already trailing by 10 at that point.
But according to Warriors' star Stephen Curry , Green's departure actually helped spark their competitive fire, leading to a 116-113 win – their fifth in a row.
After seeing one of their veterans head to the locker room earlier than usual, the Warriors regained their composure and tied the game at 93-all at the end of the third. Thirty seconds into the fourth, they grabbed the lead and never looked back.
"We know what he brings, and he lit a fire underneath us to respond. Once he goes out. It's on us to pick up the slack, play, you know, competitive basketball with that same toughness," Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area after the game.
It helped a great deal that Curry went on one of his signature flurries in the third quarter, scoring 18 of his 34 points in that stretch. However, Curry stressed that everyone got in on the act.
"Like I said, I got going, but it was Bassey Melt, BP, Yax, everybody! Will Richard, another game where he comes in and is disruptive on defense. And by committee, everybody showed up," he continued.
The Warriors have always taken a lot of pride in overcoming opponents with a by-committee approach and that was again apparent on Monday night. Brandin Podziemski had 20 points, while Charles Bassey had 19 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Rookie ace Yaxel Lendeborg added 16 while Georges Niang chipped in 13 points.
Bassey, a 6'10" center from Nigeria, expressed how much fun it is to share the floor with Curry, taking advantage of the latter's gravity to deal damage to the opponent's defense.
"I'm telling you, man, it's great, man. Like I was telling GP, I feel like every time I set the screen on Steph, I'm always wide-a–s open, man. I'm always open," he stated .
"So, I mean, playing with him is fun, man. It's fun because he gets you going. He gets you going, and he gets you little free buckets here and there. Like you said, man, I got a couple of free buckets with the screen and roll with him tonight, and so, it's just fun playing with him, man. It's fun. I love it."
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But for all of the other Warriors' contributions, Curry remains the star of the show. Aside from his 34 points, he also had six rebounds and seven assists. The 38-year-old is now averaging an even 30.0 points per game this season, an incredible feat given his age and last season's injury battles.
Related: "Probably a B-minus" – When Stephen Curry honestly graded himself as an individual defender
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
