As the Golden State Warriors stole Game 1 of their matchup with the Minnesota Timberwoles, it was their defense that stole the show. In a 99-88 victory, the Warriors held Minnesota to just 31 first-half points and an abysmal 5-for-29 from 3-point range on the night.
A large factor in this performance was defensive quarterback Draymond Green. Although he initially struggled against Rudy Gobert's size, Green put up an immaculate night defensively, getting a pair of steals and managing his rotations perfectly.
However, when superstar guard Stephen Curry left the game in the second quarter with what was later revealed to be hamstring strain, Golden State desperately needed their other players to step up on offense, and Green did so in surprising fashion.
Draymond Green's shooting surprisingly helped the Warriors steal Game 1
To state it lightly, Curry's injury was massively disappointing to the team in Game 1. The Timberwolves, in contrast to the Houston Rockets, had already shown an inability to slow down Curry's off-ball movement and prevent him from getting open shots, and Curry had already scored 13 points in just under 13 minutes on the floor.
Although Buddy Hield had been shooting well as of late, putting up a monster 33-point performance on 9-of-11 shooting from 3-point range against the Houston Rockets, the team's other perimeter shooters, such as Brandin Podziemski and Quinten Post, have both struggled heavily and could not be relied upon to take on Curry's workload.
Although Hield had a great game, leading the team yet again in scoring with 24 points, Green, who is a career 32% 3-point shooter, was also a large part of the solution to this issue.
Through 34 minutes on the court, Green scored 18 points, his most in a playoff game since Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023, making four of his ten 3-point attempts and adding six assists to his statline.
While it is not likely that Green will continue to be hot from beyond the arc through the rest of this series, his offensive contributions will only increase in importance the longer Curry is out.
Without the task of guarding Alperen Sengun, Green can now return to many of his usual playmaking roles, helping to organize the Warriors' offense and distribute the ball to their perimeter shooters.
However, as the series advances, Golden State will need their other scorers, including Jimmy Butler, to step up. The Timberwolves were one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the NBA during the regular season, and, once they shake off the rust of their long rest period between series, the Warriors will certainly need to score more prolifically in order to overcome their opponent.