After the Golden State Warriors beat the Utah Jazz last night (2/12), Draymond Green told reporters that getting suspended for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the head has “helped” the team. 
Jonathan Kuminga took his game to another level while Green was suspended and now both players are playing well together with Green back in the lineup.
“Honestly, I think me getting suspended helped in a weird way,” Draymond Green said. “Because JK’s taken off. That has kind of set the stage for our team. Bona fide No. 2 option on our team. Now you got different things we can go to. Our offense don’t look the exact same like it used to look. You’re able to find different combinations that worked.”
The Warriors are 8-4 since Green returned from his suspension. He’s averaging 8.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks.
“Not that I wanted to get suspended or that was good or anything like that, but I do think it kind of helped us find different things we can go to and explore,” Green said. “Now you add me back to the fray, add (Gary Payton II) back from injury, (Chris Paul) will be coming back.”
The Warriors are 26-25 on the season. They are in 10th place in the Western Conference standings.
Green is averaging 9.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 27 games this season while shooting 51.1% from the field, 40.6% from beyond the arc and 78.6% from the free-throw line. He has four double-doubles.
If the season ended today, the Warriors would be in the play-in tournament. They would face the Los Angeles Lakers, who are in ninth place. Golden State and Los Angeles met in the second round of the 2023 playoffs, with the Lakers winning the series in six games.
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In a fiery showdown that transcended the confines of the basketball court, Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic and Golden State Warriors stalwart Draymond Green reignited their simmering feud, exchanging verbal jabs and fiery rhetoric following a pulsating clash between the Western Conference heavyweights on Saturday. While the heroics of Steph Curry ultimately sealed the Warriors’ narrow 113–112 victory, it was the tumultuous exchange between Nurkic and Green that captured the headlines and underscored the intensity of their rivalry. For more updates click on link… https://www.basketballall.com/jusuf-nurkic-blasts-draymond-green-after-fiery-suns-vs-warriors-clash/