Hours After Draymond Green Return News, Warriors Get “Punched in the Mouth” Amid Stephen Curry Woes

The Golden State raised a white flag with 6 minutes remaining in the game. Steve Kerr benched his star player to initiate garbage time. Soon, with their hopes for the game, the fans swiftly took their exit from the Chase Center. The joy of Draymond Green’s return to the team proved short-lived as the Warriors endured one of their worst defensive performances of the year. Adding to the disappointment was Stephen Curry’s dismal shooting display, going 0 for 9 from beyond the three-point line. It marked his worst shooting stint of the season.

Stephen Curry found himself in the sixth spot for scoring on the squad. Klay Thompson and Moses Moody took the lead with 25 and 21 points, respectively. Additionally, rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis contributed a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Steve Kerr opens up on Warriors’ struggles

Expressing his dismay over yet another disappointing performance by the Golden State Warriors against the Toronto Raptors, Steve Kerr succinctly summarized their efforts. He said, “We got punched in the mouth right away. They just took it to us.” While talking in the post-game presser, Kerr suggested that the Raptors’ strategy of quickly transitioning the ball to secure multiple easy buckets early in the game disrupted the Warriors’ game plan.

Warriors lost the game 118-133. At halftime, the Warriors found themselves trailing by a substantial 27 points. Despite a challenging and “ugly” 49-76 start, Kerr commended the team for their efforts in narrowing the deficit during the second half.

The Warriors are 2-4 as they look to close out a challenging seven-game home stand. Their next matchup will be against the New Orleans Pelicans. From there, the squad will round up for a trip to Chicago, Milwaukee, Memphis, and Utah.

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Currently, the Warriors are 11th in the Western Conference as they hold a 17-19 record. With teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Houston Rockets above them, they will need a crucial stretch of winning games if they want to stop playing catch-up basketball and move on to work strategies for the longer haul.

Draymond Green is back in the rotation

On the bench for their game against the Raptors, the Warriors had Draymond Green, who is now officially reinstated into the team after his suspension. His absence in the game was attributed to a lack of conditioning.

The league stated that Green “demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players” during his indefinite suspension. Since December 14, Green engaged in multiple joint meetings with representatives from the league, the Warriors, and the National Basketball Players Association, in addition to meeting with a counselor. Despite his comeback, these meetings will continue throughout the season.

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Having missed as many games as the Warriors have won (17), with 5 games in November and 12 games recently, Green’s return will add an intriguing dynamic to the squad.