Draymond Green’s triple-double was like no other in NBA history.
Green scored only four points, but finished with 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals as the Golden State Warriors beat Memphis 122-107 on Friday night for their first win over the Grizzlies in three attempts this season.
With his unique all-around performance at both ends of the court, Green became the first player in league history to have a triple-double with fewer than 10 points.
Photo: AP
Klay Thompson had 36 points and Kevin Durant 24, but it was Green’s performance that drew accolades from Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
“That says it all right there,” Kerr said about the triple-double. “Draymond dominated that game. That’s as dominant of a performance as I’ve ever seen from somebody who scored four points.”
“He guards the whole team out there. Put him on Marc Gasol, put him on Zach Randolph and switch him onto [Mike] Conley. How many guys in the league can do that?” Kerr said.
Andre Iguodala had 22, missing only one of seven shots, while Stephen Curry finished with 18 points. Green’s 10 steals and five blocks were part of a Warriors defense who forced 19 Memphis turnovers and kept them to 39 percent shooting.
“I knew Klay was knocking down the shots, so I knew the assists started to get up there, but I really didn’t know where I was as far as rebounds and steals,” Green said.
The Warriors (45-8) lost two previous games to Memphis this season, including when they blew a 24-point lead in the second half on Jan. 6. This time, they held a 26-point advantage in the fourth quarter and did not let the Grizzlies (33-23) back in it.
Conley led Memphis with 20 points. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph had 17 apiece.
The Warriors’ defense worked hard to keep the Grizzlies from getting the ball inside. The strategy was particularly effective against Gasol, who shot only four of 14. Part of that was Green and other Golden State defenders preventing feeds into the post and poking the ball away after passes.
The Warriors carried a 62-49 advantage into halftime. Durant, limited to six points on one-of-six shooting in the first half, scored 12 in the third quarter to help the Warriors build the lead to 98-77 heading into the fourth.
At that point, folks were noticing Green’s uncommon stat line.
“To a certain extent, he does that every night for us, but the numbers were pretty crazy with that kind of a triple-double,” Curry said.
Elsewhere, New York Knicks owner James Dolan said that he had banned former star Charles Oakley from their Madison Square Garden (MSG) after the fan favorite’s arrest there on Wednesday.
The fracas in the stands early during the Knicks’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippers was the latest eruption of the long-simmering feud between Dolan and Oakley, who has been critical of the owner’s stewardship of the club.
“Oakley will never be allowed to enter MSG again,” Dolan told ESPN radio, although he later clarified that it was “not necessarily a lifetime ban.”
Dolan, the executive chairman of the Madison Square Garden company, also said that he had sacked the arena’s security chief, Frank Benedetto.
“That was just a situation where the person didn’t work out and this was probably the last straw,” Dolan said.
Oakley took a swipe at security personnel seeking to remove him from his seat, and was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and criminal trespass.
The Knicks say Oakley was abusive, calling his claim that he was told to leave the arena for no apparent reason “pure fiction.”
The sight of Oakley, a popular figure on the Knicks when they were perennial playoff contenders from 1988 to 1998, being herded out of the stands and handcuffed provoked a backlash from other former and current players.
NBA veteran Dwyane Wade and Clippers star Chris Paul were among those taking the Knicks to task via social media over the treatment meted out to Oakley.
On the court, the Knicks fell to 22-33 with a 131-123 home loss against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night in a game where New York fans offered sporadic chants in support of Oakley along with boos for the current crop of Knicks.
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