Draymond Green addressed his decision to leave the bench during Monday’s 120-97 victory over the Orlando Magic, saying, “Temper spilled over and I just thought it was best that I got out of there…I don’t think there was a situation where it was going to get better. So it was just best to remove myself.”
Asked what caused the argument with Steve Kerr, Green responded, “Basketball. We know…we play basketball. It’s an emotional game. People lose their emotions sometimes. It happens. It is what it is.”
On whether the incident will linger, Green said, “No. We move forward. We all right.” He confirmed that he has not spoken with Kerr since the exchange, noting, “He had to talk to y’all…we’ll move forward.”
Green described the source of frustration in the third quarter: “It came after a couple of turnovers…with my play right now, I’m not frustrated at all. I had one turnover today…I essentially ran our offense today.”
Reflecting on the team’s 15-15 record, Green added, “No one’s happy about being 15 and 15, but we’re starting to figure out different things, rotations, and who we are as a team…all starting to come together and we’re looking a lot better.”
He highlighted the team’s second-half performance, saying, “The ball moved. We moved the ball, we got the shots started falling…I thought we played a great first half and shots just didn’t fall. Then the shots start falling and you continue to play that way both defensively and offensively…they started to go in the second half.”
On his approach to leaving the bench, Green explained, “I was going back to the bench. I’m going to be available for my teammates. I’m never going to quit on my teammates…probably better I didn’t go back in because I was quite stiff, to be honest.”
He emphasized channeling frustration constructively: “If your frustration is about doing the right things and everything moving in the right direction…it’s positive. As long as it’s directed toward the main goal, then everybody can figure it out and work through it.”
Discussing his relationship with Kerr, Green said, “We’ve won a lot of championships together…lot of success as a coach, lot of success as a player. Those things can never be taken away. We continue to move forward and figure out what we need to do to win games.”
The Warriors overcame a seven-point third-quarter deficit, outscoring Orlando 62-40 in the second half. Stephen Curry scored 18 of his 26 points after halftime, while Jimmy Butler added 21 points and Moses Moody contributed 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Off the bench, Brandin Podziemski finished with a plus-36 rating.
Golden State improved to 15-15, with Curry noting the team’s resilience, and Green stressing the importance of moving forward while maintaining focus on winning as the primary objective.
