The Golden State Warriors approached the away game against the Houston Rockets on Thursday with many uncertainties around their roster. With multiple players from the rotation sidelined for this game, hardly anyone gave the Dubs a chance against one of the best teams in the Western Conference, led by Kevin Durant. However, a team comprising inexperienced players emerged victorious. Following the victory, Draymond Green paid his tributes to Kevin Durant and also highlighted the importance of keeping him in check to secure such a result.

The Dubs had a clear strategy for Durant, and they executed it really well despite him finishing the night with 23 points. He missed two crucial free throws in overtime, which came back to haunt the Rockets. Following the win, Draymond Green appeared in Warriors Postgame Live with NBC Sports and there he gave his flowers to Kevin Durant. “Definitely one of the best scorers we’ve ever seen,” Draymond shared. “When you’re playing against a great player like that, you just got to try to make them do it on my terms. He’s such a great scorer. If you let him do everything on his terms, you’re dead.”

“And so I just wanted to raise my pickup points up to where he’s not getting them in his operating area, try to speed him up a little bit. But, you know, you can play that same defense, and Kevin (Durant) can go for 40. It’s always a complete team effort, and my teammates did a great job of plugging off the guys that we needed to plug off of, and it was – you know, everybody was on a string,” Draymond continued as he revealed the strategy that the Warriors planned to minimize Durant’s overall output. 

Durant was effectively neutralized thanks to the Warriors’ brilliant strategy. Except for Rockets star Reed Shepperd, who scored 30 points and dished out six assists, they kept nearly everyone in check, and he almost secured the win for the hosts. With some exceptional defense, the Dubs nonetheless secured a sensational victory, a truly standout performance this season.

Despite the win and successfully guarding Durant, Warriors veteran Draymond Green was all praise for his former teammate. He labelled the Rockets star as one of the all-time greats, highlighting how he cherished playing against him.

Warriors star Draymond Green hails Kevin Durant as one of the all-time greats

Kevin Durant is easily one of the best players in the NBA right now. He is already considered one of the best scorers to ever grace the game. His influence is clear on the Rockets. The All-NBA forward is still going strong, even at 37, as he has been much healthier than many youngsters for Houston.

Given his influence on the game overall,

Warriors star Draymond Green gave his flowers to his former teammate following the win. He hailed the Slim Reaper as one of the top five players of the game in history. “I enjoy competing against greats and Kevin is one of the all-time greats. Top five NBA basketball players in the history of this game. … I’m always excited for it,” Draymond Green stated as per Warriors insider Sam Gordon.

The Rockets forward is enjoying a scintillating season irrespective of his age as he is averaging 26.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 51.0% from the field across 57 games. The fact that Houston are still fourth in the Western Conference with a 38-23 record and are only a game behind third-placed Minnesota Timberwolves is courtesy of Durant’s exceptional performances all season long.

Overall, it was a sensational performance for the Warriors as they were without players like

Stephen Curry, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II and Will Richard. Along with them, the likes of Seth Curry and Jimmy Butler are also among the long-term absentees. So even with all the adversities, the Warriors were splendid away from home against a top team from the West. The Dubs backcourt duo of Brandin Podziemski and De’Anthony Melton combined for 49 points, with the former draining four three-pointers. Meanwhile, Warriors’ G-League callup LJ Cryer also had a remarkable game off the bench as he finished with 12 points, all of them coming from his four three-pointers.

The Warriors have avoided a three-game losing streak in a game that was tied eight times and also changed leads 12 times. With this result, Steve Kerr’s men continue to be in eighth position in the West (32-30), 1.5 games ahead of ninth-placed Los Angeles Clippers. However, it doesn’t get easier for the Dubs as they will travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Saturday.