Draymond Green on Warriors breaking five-game losing streak: “We’ve been getting our a** kicked… You lose five in a row, the one you get, you're gonna feel good”
Draymond Green was relieved after the Golden State Warriors held onto beat the Sacramento Kings 116-113 on Monday. The Warriors were on a five-game skid and were close to recording their sixth consecutive loss. However, Steph Curry ensured the Warriors stayed in it as he dropped 47 points.
The Warriors erupted in wild celebrations after the victory. Draymond Green weighed in on why it was a crucial win for the team and their morale after the game (via Jason Dumas on Twitter):
"We've been getting our a** kicked. ... We were losing games we were supposed to win. We probably got three or four this year where we've lost games down the stretch, which we don't normally lose. So, just to close one out, it felt good.
"You know when you lose five in a row, I don't care who you are, how much success you've had, you lose five in a row, the one you get, you're gonna feel good."
Draymond on the importance of getting that win on Monday night: https://t.co/uKX5gPz44o
The Warriors haven't been able to execute down the stretch. They didn't put up an impressive performance against the Kings, either, from the team's perspective. Steph Curry put the team on his back by bagging 47 points and keeping the Dubs in the game, despite trailing by 12 points at halftime.
He came up big in their fourth-quarter rally, scoring 17 points during that stretch. Curry hit a pair of free throws with just over a second left in the game to give the Warriors a three-point lead, which was the eventual margin of victory.
Draymond Green even compared Curry's performance to Game 4 of the NBA Finals when the latter scored 43 points and led the Warriors to a much-needed win on his own.
"He just wasn't going to allow us to lose."
Steph's performance tonight reminded Draymond of Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals https://t.co/2fA7U8211r
Draymond Green says the Warriors understand where they are at this stage of the season
The Golden State Warriors have recorded a surprising start to the season. They own a 4-7 record, good for the 12th seed in the West. The Warriors have been a tale of two stories with their starters and the bench. The starting unit has an offensive rating of 129.9 and a defensive rating of 103.7.
Compared to the team ratings, the Warriors starters top the offensive rating charts with a 10.9 differential against the Boston Celtics' 118.0 and are second in the defensive ratings behind the Milwaukee Bucks' 101.9. As a unit, the Warriors are 14th offensively (112.9) and 27th on defense (115.8).
They don't have the same depth they did last season or during their previous championship-winning years, proving to be the key reason behind their struggles. The Warriors got the job done against the Kings, but only just. They had to rely on a single-handed effort from Steph Curry to secure the dub, so there's plenty of improvement needed from the team's perspective.
Also read: Steve Kerr lauds Steph Curry for his superhuman 47-point effort against Sacramento Kings: "That was just Steph Curry deciding we're gonna win"
Draymond Green knows that celebrating a regular-season game in November isn't what the Warriors want. However, he didn't shy away from admitting that Golden State needed a win against the Kings.
Draymond Green also highlighted that the Warriors know where they are, so the Dubs will be hoping to use this momentum to secure wins consistently.