Warriors at Wizards
Draymond Green admitted that his selfish search for a triple-double on Saturday left the Golden State Warriors in a dangerous position, but just letting one come naturally on Sunday gave the team a big boost. The first-time All-Star will try to lead the Warriors to an eighth consecutive win when they close out a three-game road trip at the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
Green blamed himself for Golden State squandering a 24-point lead in a 108-105 win at Philadelphia on Saturday but redeemed himself with a rare “perfect” triple-double, going 9-of-9 from the floor at the New York Knicks the next night and finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 116-95 triumph. “That’s how you (record a triple-double),” Green told reporters. “It comes within the flow of the game, within the flow of the offense. That’s how all of them have been, but when you start doing what I did (Saturday), it doesn’t work out.” The Wizards are struggling through a tough part of the schedule and have the misfortune of returning home to face the top team in the league after falling at Oklahoma City on Monday. Washington watched Russell Westbrook go for a triple-double in the 114-98 setback and has dropped six of its last eight games.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (44-4): Reigning MVP Stephen Curry is suffering through a shooting slump with an average of 16.7 points on 18-of-47 from the field in the last three games, but fellow All-Star Klay Thompson is picking up the slack. Thompson is averaging 37 points and is 42-of-64 from the field in that span, capped by a 14-of-18 effort at the Knicks. “It’s special,” Curry told reporters of Thompson’s hot streak. “He’s finding his rhythm, being very aggressive, and he’s also making plays — not just shooting the ball, but also finding guys when he’s double-teamed or curling. He’s obviously making shots, and it’s fun to watch.”
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (21-25): Washington has allowed opponents an average of 115 points in the last five games – four losses – and was crushed on the glass 53-27 by the Thunder in Monday’s 114-98 setback. "We got down early. They were offensive rebounding,” Wizards guard Garrett Temple told reporters. “We had no resistance defensively. They were scoring at will, especially in the first six minutes, eight minutes of the game. ... Overall it was not guarding, a broken record." Washington is 14th in the Eastern Conference in scoring defense (allowing an average of 105 points), ahead of only the 76ers (105.1).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Green is the first player to go perfect from the field in a triple-double on nine or more shot attempts since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967.
2. Wizards coach Randy Wittman (personal) is expected to miss his second straight game.
3. Golden State took both meetings last season and eight of the last nine in the series.