How did Draymond Green feel Monday night after his first basketball game in 16 days?
“Bad,” the Golden State Warriors forward joked through a grin an hour after beating the Orlando Magic at Chase Center. But actually, “pretty good, I’ve just got to get my legs underneath me.”
The strained left calf that cost Green seven games from Jan. 20-31 included a small tear that required rehabilitation, he said after returning to the starting lineup Monday night. While spearheading the Warriors’ defense opposite Magic standouts Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, he had four points, seven rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes.
Plus a driving hook shot in the closing minutes that propelled the Warriors to a four-point advantage.
“He’s been champing at the bit to get back out there,” teammate Stephen Curry said. “It was a great game to come back to with two guys that are elite scorers and try to put pressure on the rim. Especially that one-on-one kind of scenario taking that challenge and sitting down and guarding. … He just gave us great energy.”
Green aggravated his strained left calf while playing on Jan. 18 against the Washington Wizards. He said, “There wasn’t signs. I wasn’t tight or anything. It just kind of goes,” as vice president of player health and performance Rick Celebrini would affirm to him afterward. Herniated discs in 2022 triggered left calf pain for Green, but this was unrelated.
“We figured out pretty quickly — and I was pretty confident that was just my calf,” he said. “We just kind of played it by ear those first few days. … And kind of by day three, the pain had kind of subsided a bit.”
Green, 34 and in his 13th NBA season, averages 8.3 points, 6 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 35 games while anchoring Golden State’s ninth-ranked defense, which allows 111.8 points per 100 possessions.
Green “changes everything defensively, just with his activity and communication. Covering up when we do make mistakes. I thought he looked good,” head coach Steve Kerr said Monday postgame.
Celebrity Game participants: San Francisco sporting legends Barry Bonds and Jerry Rice are among the coaches for the NBA’s annual All-Star Celebrity Game on Feb. 14 at Oakland Arena, the league announced Tuesday morning.
Included in the 22 participants are former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens, former Warriors guard Baron Davis and wing Matt Barnes, Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton and Atlanta Dream wing Allisha Gray. Also participating are streamer Kai Cenat, comedian Druski, recording artists Shaboozey and Noah Kahan, Olympic high jumper Shelby McEwen and WWE superstar Bayley.
Joining Bonds and Rice as coaches are recording artist 2 Chainz and influencer Khaby Lame.
