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.
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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.