Kendrick Perkins gave his verdict on Draymond Green’s performance in the Golden State Warriors’ win in Game 3 against the Houston Rockets.
Led by Steph Curry‘s 38-point performance, the Warriors were able to produce a great performance to take a 104-93 win.
Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield also showed out off the bench, combining for 33 points on the night.
The Rockets never looked comfortable in the game, and a lot of this was down to the lockdown defense by the Warriors. Draymond Green was the anchor, leading the way with two steals and three blocks.
Green was trolled by the fans after he was announced as the winner of the NBA’s Hustle Award.
He was also one of the three finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year award, but missed out on it as Evan Mobley received the honour.
However, Green showed why he was on the shortlist as he contained the Rockets exceptionally well all night.
Speaking on Green’s stellar defensive display, Perkins said: “I thought Draymond Green tonight, by the way, was huge. He has been struggling and is only averaging six points for the series. Sengun had been cooking him and everybody else.
“And all of a sudden, when they needed him the most, he put the clamps on Sengun late in the game to help secure and help the Warriors get Game 3.”
Aside from a good performance in Game 3, Green has not had the best of times trying to contain the Rockets.
Alperen Sengun had a poster dunk on Green early in the series and has managed to do well, averaging over 19 points and 12 rebounds.
He was, however, slowed down in Game 3 by Green, and that is one of the reasons the Warriors were able to take the win.
Having missed out on the DPOY trophy, Green was clearly looking to prove to people why he is one of the best defenders in the league.
Jimmy Butler’s injury will be a tough one to manage; he could be back, but whether the six-time All-Star will be at his best is questionable.
If he’s not at full fitness, Green could have to start contributing more on both ends of the floor in order to fill the void, which will be tough.
That being said, the four-time NBA champion has played in situations like these before and knows what it takes to come out victorious.
The Warriors have a 2-1 lead and if Green repeats his performance from Game 3, they should end up winning the series.
