How Draymond’s halftime message led to Warriors’ comeback win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
While several stat-lit Warriors players are getting credit for Tuesday’s 124-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, a halftime speech from Draymond Green may have been the actual catalyst for their comeback at 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.
“We came out kind of slow in the first half,” Warriors guard Gary Payton II told Zena Keita of NBC Sports Bay Area after the game. “In 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] knows this team very well, and once we put pressure on them and make them make quick decisions, bad things happen and often good things happen for us.”
The Warriors struggled in the first quarter and the Pelicans took an early 31-14 lead entering the second quarter. With Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De’Anthony Melton all sidelined with injuries on Tuesday, it looked like the game could be a lost cause.
But the Warriors outscored the Pelicans 110-75 over the final three quarters, and after Green’s message they had 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 plus-15 with three points, seven assists and three rebounds – with one very important locker room address.
“It all starts with Draymond,” forward Jonathan Kuminga told Keita. “Draymond came into the locker room and said to all of us, ‘They look good now, but as soon as we apply pressure, they’ll all fade away.’ And that’s the same thing that happened. You saw it. We all came here with one mindset: we were just putting pressure on the defense.
“He said, ‘As long as we put pressure on the defense, the offense will be easy.’ So that’s what we came here and [did].”
Green’s veteran leadership was on display in the Warriors’ third win of the 2024-2025 NBA season, which only reinforced how important the four-time champion is to Golden State’s success.
And while Green and Co. aiming for a return to the NBA playoffs, moments like his speech tonight can certainly help them achieve that goal.
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