BOSTON — Draymond Green, with both his knees wrapped in ice after playing a game-high 49 minutes and 38 seconds, was able to find just a little more in himself for a little postgame dance in the hallways of TD Garden.
After Green’s performance Friday night against the Boston Celtics, he earned the right to dance the night away if he wanted.
The Warriors improved to 24-0 with a 124-119 win in double overtime, thanks in large part to a monster effort from Green. The fourth-year pro scored 24 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out eight assists — and added five blocks and five steals for good measure — in helping the Warriors stay undefeated.
“It was huge,” Warriors interim coach Luke Walton said of Green’s performance at both ends of the court. “He does everything for us on the court. He’s a very intelligent, competitive player, and obviously we’re not close to being (24-0) without him.”
Green’s performance seemed to get better as the game progressed. He was especially good on the defensive end in the fourth quarter and into the two overtime periods and was a big reason the Warriors held the Celtics to just 16 points over the two extra frames.
The biggest play of the game might have come with 17.8 seconds to play in overtime, when Green was able to tip a loose ball on a Warriors miss to Shaun Livingston, who was fouled on a put-back attempt. Livingston made both free throws to give the Warriors a three-point lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Green’s performance, especially on the defensive end, is that he was so effective despite picking up his fifth foul with 5:51 to play in the fourth quarter.
“I just had to be not as aggressive and be smart,” Green said. “I’ve just got to use my head and know I’ve got to be on the floor so I can’t get a silly foul. If you get a foul and there’s nothing you can do about it, then hey, but you’ve just got to stay out of harm’s way.”
Staying out of harm’s way allowed Green to stay in the game and remain a vital part of the Warriors’ attack. With Klay Thompson sidelined with an ankle injury, Green had even more responsibility on the offensive end, evidenced by his 24 points — 11 more than his season average entering Friday.
“I knew I’d have to step it up and be more aggressive on the offensive end,” he said. “With Klay out, we still put a lot of pressure on (Stephen Curry), and he had to work hard tonight. I knew I wanted to be more aggressive end and cover a little bit of that slack with Klay out.”
Because of Green’s extra efforts, the Warriors’ unbeaten streak lives to see another day.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports Images
