How Draymond’s halftime message sparked the Warriors’ comeback win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
While several Warriors players who lit up the stat sheet will get the credit for Tuesday’s 124-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Draymond Green’s halftime speech may have been the actual catalyst for their return to Chase Center.
Trailing 51-47 after the second-quarter buzzer sounded, Green’s message to Golden State was clear: Apply pressure, and good things will happen.
“The first half, we came out a little sluggish,” Warriors guard Gary Payton II told Zena Keita of NBC Sports Bay Area after the game. “The second half, Draymond challenged us to come out and hit them first. We could see in that second quarter what happens when we attack and are aggressive – things start to change our way … …
“[Draymond] know this team very well, and once we put pressure on them and make them make quick decisions, bad things happen and good things tend to happen for us.”
The Warriors struggled in the first quarter, and the Pelicans took an early 31-14 lead entering the second. With Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De’Anthony Melton all sidelined Tuesday with injuriesit seemed like the game might be a lost cause.
But the Warriors outscored the Pelicans 110-75 over the final three quarters, and after Green’s message held a 22-point lead over New Orleans in the second half thanks in large part to Buddy Hield’s 25 points in the third and fourth quarter on 8-of-10 shooting with six 3-pointers.
Brandin Podziemski (19 points) and Lindy Waters III (21 points) were Golden State’s other top scorers. Green, meanwhile, finished with three points, seven assists and three rebounds as a plus-15 — with one very important locker room address.
“It all starts with Draymond,” forward Jonathan Kuminga Keita said. “Draymond came into the locker room and told all of us ‘They look good now but once we press they’re all going to be gone.’ And that’s the same thing that happened. We all came out here with one mindset, just pushing.
“He said, ‘As long as we put pressure on defense, the offense will be easy.’ So that’s what we came out here and [did].”
Green’s veteran leadership was on display in the Warriors’ third win of the 2024-25 NBA season, only reinforcing how important the four-time champion is to Golden State’s success.
And because Green and Co. are looking to get back to the NBA playoffs, moments like his speech tonight could certainly help them reach that goal.
