At this point, the 31-2 Golden State Warriors have to dream up creative ways to psyche themselves up. With Steph Curry back in the lineup (albeit briefly) against the Denver Nuggets Saturday night, and Draymond Green absolutely on fire in the first quarter after knocking down his first three shots from behind-the-arc, interim coach Luke Walton decided that he needed a little extra incentive to keep his hot streak going. So during a timeout, he drew up a play specifically for Green, but with the added twist of teasing him that he’d probably miss the shot. Via Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News:
“I was able to get it going, and my teammates started to look for me. Then Luke drew up a play for me (during the timeout) and told me I wasn’t going to make it on the fourth one. So I had to knock that one down.”
Which he did. But Golden State would end up needing every bit of his 29 points, 17 rebounds, and 14 assists to get past a scrappy Nuggets team in overtime, especially after Curry exited the game in the first half upon re-aggravating his leg injury and did not return. It’s unclear whether the reigning MVP will return Monday night against Charlotte or Tuesday against the Lakers, and if he doesn’t, then the Warriors might not need any more mind games to stay motivated during the first full week of the New Year, even against a trio of lesser opponents.
(Via San Jose Mercury News)
