Draymond Green Triple-Double Generally Means A Golden State Warriors Win
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- For the first time in his NBA Career, Golden State star Draymond Green found himself on the losing end of a game in which he had earned a triple double.
Before Saturday night's 126-121 overtime defeat in Game 3 of the Golden State-Houston series, the Warriors were a gaudy 27-0 in both regular season and playoff games in which Green has had a triple double.
He scored 19 point, pulled down 11 rebounds, dished off 10 assists and had a pair of blocks in the loss. Among the NBA playoff leaders, the veteran out of Michigan State ranks 4th in assists per game, 12th in rebounding and 8th in blocks shots per contest. And those numbers, particularly the assists, have come in a series where Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are struggling with their shooting touch.
It shows just how potent Golden State is when Green is fully engaged in a game. A fact that head coach Steve Kerr is well aware of.
"He's been really good for more than just this series -- he was great last series," Kerr told reporters. "I thought he was really good down the stretch. He lost some weight the last month of the season. He's playing at a really, really high level."
Kevin Durant, who has carried the Warriors offense through the first three games of the series, said the number don't really reveal the full impact of Green's play.
"Numbers don't really matter, they don't tell the whole story," Durant said. "Even though he had a triple down and we lost, Draymond was great all night. His energy and focus was at an elite level all night."
For his part, Green called the triple double "irrelevant" because it came in a loss.
"I'm just trying to play the game and take what the defense is giving me," he said. "Obviously, that's a great team that we have a history with. When you have history with a team, you always want to play well. (I'm) just trying to stay focused and locked in. But none of it means anything if you don't end with a win. So it's really irrelevant tonight."