Draymond Green was a team-worst -23 during the Warriors' 119-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night at Chase Center, and he took responsibility for his rough performance just hours later.
On the latest “Draymond Green Show” podcast.which was recorded after Sunday's game and released Monday, the Warriors forward tapped into his influence on teammate Klay Thompson and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
“Clay came off the bench in the first half,” Green said. “And I think it's on me, I've got to do a better job of making sure he gets more touches in the second half. Even though our minutes don't match up as much as they used to, I think it's still my role on this team to make sure he gets More shots in the second half.
Thompson scored 23 points in the first half, as the Warriors and Nuggets tied at halftime with a score of 61-61. He wouldn't score again, and Golden State struggled to find a consistent offense — even after Steph Curry heated up in the third quarter.
Green believes he has to devote more touches to Thompson, especially when his hand is hot. However, he admitted that Thompson's move to the bench is a situation he is used to as they are not on the field as much as they would have been if they were starting together.
Thompson scoring could have buoyed Golden State's stagnant offense in the second half, but Jokic's dominance supersedes all outcomes and possibilities.
“[Jokić’s] 32 [points]16 [assists] And 16 [rebounds] “He gave me complete hell tonight,” Green said. “I've had my fair share of good matches against Joker. He gave me complete and complete hell tonight. I had absolutely no answers. And I'm going to laugh about that because you either laugh or you cry. So I'm going to laugh about that. I had absolutely no answers.” Tonight.
As Green explained, Jokic was unstoppable. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player shot 52.2 percent from the floor and seemingly could do no wrong for Denver.
The Warriors' loss drops to 0-4 against the Nuggets in the 2023-24 NBA season. While he chose to “laugh” the bad outing, Green stressed Golden State's desire to get back on track.
“It was one of those games you just had to play,” Green declared. “This is a very good team, and that's why they're defending the title. I'm going to take this loss and flush it down the toilet, and we're going to move on to Washington. Then we're going to get back on the winning track and we're going to have a great road trip. That's what I'm going to shift my focus to.”
The Warriors are 29-27 and 16-15 at home. They trail the Los Angeles Lakers 31-28 by a half game for the No. 9 seed in the West and the Phoenix Suns 34-24 by four games for the highly coveted No. 6 seed.
Green will have a chance to atone for his poor performance when the Warriors travel to take on Jordan Poole and the Wizards on Tuesday night.
Download and follow Dubs Talk Podcast
“Travel aficionado. Infuriatingly humble reader. Incurable internet specialist.”
More Stories
The Lakers finally finished the job to end the losing streak against the Nuggets
Browns NFL Draft recap: Takeaways and analysis on Cleveland's picks and process
Here's what the Packers got in the 2024 NFL Draft