Draymond becomes first NBA player to record improbable double-double, originally broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green isn’t the same scorer he used to be, but his impact on the court for the Warriors remains undeniable.
Both of those statements proved true during Golden State’s 114-109 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night at Chase Center, where Green became the first NBA player to record a double-double without shooting a single shot, according to StatMuse.
Green finished Friday’s game with 12 rebounds, 11 assists, a steal and a block with, of course, no points scored. The bizarre double-double occurred just two games after Green’s scoring outburst against the Los Angeles Lakers, when he scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from behind the 3-point line.
While the four-time NBA champion wasn’t firing on all cylinders — or shooting at all — against the Pelicans, Green left his mark on the game in other ways.
After the loss, Warriors coach Steve Kerr praised Green’s efforts and cited him as one of the main reasons Golden State was able to stay in the game.
“I don’t care if Draymond shoots or doesn’t shoot,” Kerr told reporters. “He does everything else. He was incredible tonight. His defense was so good, his competitiveness. I thought our guys in the second half, the way they fought, it was amazing to see the spirit of competition and energy.
“These guys, you know, they’ve been doing it for 12, 15 years, winning championships and playing until June. Here we are fighting for the play-in, and these guys are members of the Temple fame, and you see the effort they gave, the fight to get back in the game, to give themselves a chance.
“It’s beautiful.”
“I don’t care if Draymond shoots or doesn’t shoot. He does everything else.”
Kerr praises Draymond’s impact despite his lack of shooting in tonight’s game pic.twitter.com/FwiiboxRS8
– Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 13, 2024
Green, despite the ups and downs he has endured throughout the 2023-24 NBA season, is the heartbeat of the Warriors and makes all the difference when he is on the court. That much was clear Friday, and Golden State will need the same effort from Green in the postseason, with the team locked into an NBA Play-In tournament berth.
But for now, Green and the Warriors are focused on their regular-season finale against the Utah Jazz on Sunday — and, potentially, moving toward eighth place in the Western Conference.
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