Draymond Green returned to action on Monday, but it wasn't quiet.
The Warriors star returned from a 16-game absence after being suspended from the NBA for punching Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on Dec. 12, but was forced to play for the Grizzlies amid boos from the Memphis crowd. He appeared on the bench in the match.
Green played 23 minutes in the 116-107 loss, had seven points (including a 3-pointer punctuated by a visceral scream on his first shot of the night), seven rebounds, and four assists. Recorded.
Still, the veteran's presence couldn't help the struggling Warriors, who went 8-8 without him during his second suspension of the season.
Memphis was without its top five scorers due to injury, but Green focused on that issue, going on a 10-1 run in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to pull away for the victory.
“Until every player is proud of himself and wants to stop the player in front of him, we suck,” he said. “We can't protect anyone. Until we do, we will lose.”
Vince Williams Jr. scored 24 points and GG Jackson added a career-high 23 points for the Grizzlies. Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 18 points despite making 4 of 20 from the field.
For the Warriors, Stephen Curry had 26 points and Jonathan Kuminga had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins scored 16 points.
Manager Steve Kerr was pleased to have Green back in the lineup, having returned on January 3rd.
“He's our emotional leader and brings the passion and energy we need,” Kerr said before the game. “His leadership is important to us because our team is relatively quiet.”
Green averaged 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists, but his emotions got the best of him this season, and Nurkic was suspended for five games for putting Kings center Rudy Gobert in a headlock. He missed a total of 21 games due to the suspension. .
Golden State, currently 12th in the Western Conference standings, could get a boost from Green — and he's still not shy about sharing his thoughts on the game.
“Teams are made up of individuals, and individually our defense is the worst, and by extension the team's defense is the worst,” he said. “If we have players who are proud of themselves and play defense… that can be solved. It's not that men don't have pride. It's very simple. It would take a rocket scientist to figure it out. there is no need.”
— with AP
