The Golden State Warriors‘ margin for error was already razor-thin without their franchise star Stephen Curry.
Losing Draymond Green down the stretch eliminated whatever chances they had in Game 3, as the Minnesota Timberwolves wrested control of the series with a 102-97 win on Saturday at Chase Center.
Green took his fifth and sixth fouls in a quick succession inside the final 4:56 of the game as the Warriors went down with him. Jimmy Butler put Green on notice, highlighting his importance to the team as they try to stay afloat without Curry.
“Obviously, he’s one of the top defenders in the world,” Butler told reporters after the loss. “For sure, [he’s] the best defender on this squad. When he’s out, it is just different. You don’t got nobody back there that’s quarterbacking the way that he does it, that can switch everything and that gets every loose ball and that can rebound.”
The Warriors led by as many as seven points and had a 75-69 lead early in the fourth quarter. But they could not hold on to it with Green in and out of the game during the crucial stretch.
The Impact of Draymond Green’s Absence Down the Stretch
The Warriors were only trailing by two when Green fouled out with 4:38 left. Minnesota quickly took advantage with a 6-2 run to extend their lead to 90-84.
Green was up in arms when he earned his last two fouls in a span of 18 seconds.
Without the Warriors’ defensive anchor, the quartet of Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards finished off the game, outscoring the home team 18-15 the rest of the way, to take a 2-1 series lead.
Green finished with only two points on 1-of-4 shooting, but he added four assists, two rebounds and two steals. He also turned the ball over a game-high five times as was minus-5 during 29-minute stint.
It was a big letdown from Green, who guaranteed the Warriors would win a championship after the Butler trade. Now, starting at 2-1 series deficit with Curry’s status up in the air, Green has to play at his best to help the Warriors stay alive.
‘I’m Not an Angry Black Man’
Green’s foul-infested Game 3 performance came on the heels of his outburst in Game 2.
The four-time All-Star forward unloaded after picking up his fifth technical foul of this year’s playoffs which put him two shy of getting a one-game suspension.
“I’m not an angry Black man,” Green said, via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, after the Warriors 117-93 loss in Game 2. “I’m a very successful, educated Black man with a great family. And I’m great at basketball, I’m great at what I do. The agenda to try to keep making me look like an angry Black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous.”
The Green saga took another turn when the Timberwolves announced on Friday that they’re investigating an incident involving a fan who made “racially charged comments” toward Green.
“During the fourth quarter of last night’s game against the Warriors, a fan was ejected by Target Center security for violating the NBA Fan Code of Conduct in an incident involving Draymond Green,” the Timberwolves said in the statement. “A second individual, who was identified by surrounding patrons as making racially charged comments towards Green, left on his own before arena security could confirm his identity. The team is continuing to investigate, and additional action may be taken.”
Perhaps this explained Green’s emotionally-charged postgame rant.
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