Kevin Durant looked nothing like Kevin Durant during the Nets’ 111-99 loss to the Warriors on Tuesday night.
Durant, who entered the competition averaging 29.6 points per game with 58.6 percent shooting from the field and 42.4 percent shooting from the 3-point range, was kept at a 19-point low of the season. when he shot 6 to 19 from the field (31.6 percent) in 32 minutes of action.
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The remarkable third quarter was not exceptional for Durant, who went 0/8 from the field (including 0 of 4 from deep) and made three return runs. The Nets passed 35-18 in the bracket.
Making life difficult for Durant is a task best done as a team, but at the top of the Warriors’ overall effort to limit Durant is former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green.
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“You can’t do a better defensive job than what Draymond did tonight,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said after the game.
Kerr added that Green’s defense was the “main thing” that kept Durant in check and allowed the Warriors to extend the lead to 20 plus.
“During that third quarter performance, Draymond was with him everywhere he went,” Kerr said. “You can’t do a better job than what Draymond did.”
The match data on NBA.com isn’t perfect, but it paints a picture of the defensive work Green was able to do against his former teammate. According to Tuesday night match stats, Green defended Durant for nearly seven minutes of game time, keeping him to five points in a 2-to-7 (28.6%).
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Green’s defensive effort against Durant was part of a larger scheme employed by the Warriors. They usually choose a triangle and 2 defense, where three defenders are in one area (in the form of a triangle) while the other two focus on individual players (i.e. Green on Durant).
Reflecting on his defensive performance, Green said, “I felt like I had a good defense. My job was to take that shot as hard as possible and live with the results. I think I made it [Durant] took some tough photos of me. And he missed some of them. But the reality is we’ve both seen him take those pictures and take each and every one of them down. “
For Green, Tuesday night was a statement performance in which he once again delivered a reminder of his stellar position as a defender. Six-time All-round Defensive Team pick, Green won the Sole Defensive Player of the Year award for his efforts during the 2016-17 NBA season.
After finishing third in the Defensive Player of the Year poll last season, Green is making a strong case for bringing the hardware home in 2021-22.
