“We don’t do moral victories around here” - Draymond Green assesses Golden State Warriors' loss against Phoenix Suns, feels Warriors found their “competitive spirit”
Draymond Green believes the Golden State Warriors put up a good fight in their game against the Phoenix Suns, despite ending up on the losing side.
The forward refused to accept the 'moral victory' achieved by the struggling Warriors. However, he didn't shy away from admitting that the Warriors found their competitive spirit against the league's best team. Here's what he said regarding the same during a post-game press conference (via JER Sports Journal):
“We don’t do moral victories around here. I think we've done way too much to have moral victories. But I think tonight we found ourselves. Our competitive spirit. We found our defense, and that's something that we can build on.”
The Warriors went into the game with six losses in their last seven games, with most of them being blowouts. They've struggled to be competitive recently, especially in defense. Green wasn't quite efficient during that stretch, as he was still finding his rhythm following a two-month injury layoff.
Tic-Tac-Toe https://t.co/l74QhfTvLB
Draymond Green and Golden State Warriors fight hard in loss against Phoenix Suns
The Golden State Warriors' losing streak extended to four games following their loss against the Phoenix Suns.
They weren't expected to win because of their recent struggles. However, Draymond Green and Co. came close to causing an upset. They led 101-100 with 34 seconds left but couldn't secure a morale-boosting win.
Jordan Poole was the Warriors' best player on the night. He played a key role in keeping them in the hunt right till the end, scoring 38 points on 11 of 22 shooting, including seven of 15 from the three-point line. He also made nine of his 10 free-throw attempts.
The Golden State Warriors collectively came up big in defense. They limited the Suns to only 41.% shooting and allowed only seven threes. Golden State also won the rebounding battle 48-46.
Final 📊
Jordan - 38p/9r/7a/1s
Andrew - 19p/8r/1a/1b
Klay - 13p/1r/4a
Gary - 10p/2r/1a/2s
Draymond - 8p/10r/7a/2s/3b
Otto - 5p/6r
Beli - 5p/4r/3a/1s
Andre - 3p/3r/1a/2s
Kevon - 2p/5r/2a https://t.co/hGQNzXWyJM
Draymond Green looked to have rediscovered his rhythm, as he bagged eight points, ten rebounds, seven assists, two steals and three blocks. His defensive and playmaking prowess was on full display. The Warriors will hope he can continue performing like that heading into the postseason.
Green has been key during the Golden State Warriors' three championship runs in the 2010s. So his form augurs well for their title hopes this year.