The Golden State Warriors fell to a disappointing 96-106 loss to the Houston Rockets last night. The franchise saw superstar point guard Stephen Curry be held to a shockingly low three points in the loss as they simply had no answer for the Rockets’ aggressive defense. However, Draymond Green tried his best to match the Rockets’ on-court aggression with his defensive possessions.
Unfortunately, aggression soon turned into some unsportsmanlike plays on the court. This could be soon during some needlessly aggressive defense on Alperen Sengun on an inbounds play, getting warned by the referee, and then intentionally elbowing Sengun after daring the referee to call a foul.
Draymond was being physical with Sengun and the ref warned him
Draymond then yelled “call it then” and elbowed him😭 pic.twitter.com/Q1rrQe4ux3
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 7, 2025
Green would also pick up a flagrant one on an audacious layup attempt, decking Sengun in the face with his elbow on his way up.
DRAYMOND ELBOWS SENGUN IN THE FACE 😭💀 pic.twitter.com/znWbWSdpxI
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) April 7, 2025
These plays led to a lot of angry fans, as Sengun could’ve gotten hurt on either one of these plays. However, the tone of the game was incredibly aggressive, with the Rockets using physical defense to contain the Warriors.
Fans even joked about Draymond’s tendency of getting into these physical tiffs during games against European centers.
Draymond Green when he sees a European big man pic.twitter.com/sT95oRm7AC
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) April 7, 2025
This game was another example of referees not calling as many fouls toward the end of the season to start giving competitive teams a taste of how the whistle will be during the Playoffs.
Green has been making a late push for Defensive Player of the Year. This game didn’t hurt his case as they held the Rockets to a below-average 106 points, but it might have boosted Amen Thompson’s name into contention for similarly impactful defense on a better team.
Draymond put up two points, three rebounds, and four assists in the loss to the Rockets. His primary matchup, Sengun, put up 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Ime Udoka On Draymond Green’s Defensive Ability
Before the game, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka spoke openly about how Draymond impacts the game defensively. After joking that Amen Thompson is much better than Draymond, he gave Green the flowers he deserves.
“Much better than Draymond. That’s a joke, I love Draymond. Played with him, obviously, and had him in USA Basketball. Very different guys and do different things. But what he did for us, what he does for Golden State, what he did for us with USA Basketball, we needed a quarterback back there.”
“You saw the importance, what he did to set our defense, and the success we had over there. He’s been doing this his whole career, one of the best to ever do it, and the versatility of him to guard all positions and the recognition and IQ on the defensive end. It’s everything for Golden State.”
Ime Udoka on how Amen Thompson stacks up this year in the Defensive Player of the Year race:
"Much better than Draymond."
Long pause.
"That's a joke. I love Draymond." pic.twitter.com/kSWxb9egxc
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) April 6, 2025
Udoka might have a different view of Green after the game, but he likely anticipated Green making it hard for Sengun. What’s important is that they got the win, and Sengun stood up to the challenge and was a crucial component of their win.
Green might be the front-runner for DPOY right now, but prospects like Amen Thompson are nipping at his heels. I would continue backing Evan Mobley for the award, but it seems like it is still all to play for as the season enters its final week.
