While several Warriors players who lit up the stat sheet will get the credit for Tuesday's 124-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, a halftime speech from Draymond Green might have been the actual catalyst for their comeback at Chase Center.
Trailing 51-47 once the second-quarter buzzer had sounded, Green's message to Golden State was clear: Apply pressure, and good things will happen.
"The first half, we came out kind of sluggish," Warriors guard Gary Payton II told NBC Sports Bay Area's Zena Keita after the game. "The second half, Draymond challenged us to come out and hit them first. We could see in that second quarter what happens when we attack and be aggressive -- things start to shift our way. ...
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"[Draymond] knows this team very well, and once we put pressure on them and make them make quick decisions, bad things happen and good things tend to happen for us."
Draymond challenged the Warriors to come out stronger in the second half, GP2 tells @itszenakeita pic.twitter.com/5RpGLJr131
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 30, 2024
The Warriors struggled in the first quarter, and the Pelicans took an early 31-14 lead entering the second. With Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De'Anthony Melton all sidelined Tuesday with injuries, it seemed like the game might be a lost cause.
But the Warriors outscored the Pelicans 110-75 over the final three quarters, and after Green's message held a 22-point advantage over New Orleans in the second half thanks largely in part to Buddy Hield's 25 points in the third and fourth quarters on 8-of-10 shooting with six 3-pointers.
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Brandin Podziemski (19 points) and Lindy Waters III (21 points) were Golden State's other top scorers. Green, meanwhile, finished with three points, seven assists and three rebounds as a plus-15 -- with one very important locker-room address.
"It all starts with Draymond," forward Jonathan Kuminga told Keita. "Draymond came into the locker room and told all of us 'They're looking good right now but once we put pressure, they're all going to fade.' And that's the same thing that happened. You saw it. We all came out here with one mindset, just putting pressure on defense.
"He said, 'As long as we put pressure on defense, the offense will be easy.' So that's what we came out here and [did]."
Green's veteran leadership was on display in the Warriors' third win of the 2024-25 NBA season, only reinforcing how important the four-time champion is to Golden State's success.
And as Green and Co. seek a return to the NBA playoffs, moments like his speech tonight certainly could help them achieve that goal.