Draymond Green isn't the same scorer he used to be, but his on-court impact for the Warriors remains undeniable.
Both of those statements proved true in 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 taking a single shot, per StatMuse.
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Green finished Friday's game with 12 rebounds, 11 assists, one steal and one block with, of course, zero points scored. The odd double-double came just two games after Green's scoring outburst against the Los Angeles Lakers, when he poured in 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from behind the 3-point line.
While the four-time NBA champion wasn't shooting lights out -- or shooting at all -- against the Pelicans, Green left his mark on the game through other means.
Golden State Warriors
Warriors coach Steve Kerr commended Green's effort after the loss, and cited it as one of the main reasons Golden State remained 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 watch just the competitive spirit and the energy.
"These guys, you know, they've been doing it for 12, 15 years, winning championships, playing deep into June. Here we are, fighting for the play-in, and these guys are Hall of Famers, and you see the effort that they gave, the fight to get back in the game, to give ourselves a chance.
"It's beautiful."
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's on the floor. It was clear Friday, and they will need that same effort with the team locked into an NBA Play-In Tournament berth.
But for now, Green and the Warriors are focused on their Sunday regular-season finale against the Utah Jazz -- and, potentially, moving up to the Western Conference's No. 8 seed.
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