Houston Rockets 122-121 Golden State Warriors: 5 talking points

#2 Draymond Green's importance to the Warriors

Draymond Green

While he definitely isn't the most talented player on the team, Draymond Green again showed his importance to the Warriors today. He had 9 points to go along with 13 assists and 11 rebounds. They were up 13 at the end of the 3rd quarter when he had to go off because of a knee strain and the Warriors offense struggled big time. His impact, especially as a playmaker, was badly missed in the 4th quarter.

The Warriors only scored 20 points and had only 5 assists to go along with 4 turnovers. His impact on the defensive side of the floor was missed as well as Houston scored 34 points.

His absence was compounded by the fact that Iguodala (back strain) didn't play either which meant that the Warriors were without 2 of their best playmakers and defenders. Curry's costly turnover late in the 4th quarter didn't help either and that tendency of his is why Draymond handles most of the playmaking duties. While the Warriors should be fine long-term, they'll have to play much better when he's off the court.