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Stephen Curry scrambles for a loose ball against E’Twaun Moore. Curry finished with 37 points and nine assists.
Stephen Curry scrambles for a loose ball against E’Twaun Moore. Curry finished with 37 points and nine assists.
Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle
Stephen Curry scrambles for a loose ball against E’Twaun Moore. Curry finished with 37 points and nine assists.
Stephen Curry scrambles for a loose ball against E’Twaun Moore. Curry finished with 37 points and nine assists.
Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle
A basketball savant, Draymond Green can anticipate plays, name almost every NBA player’s weaknesses and detail all five positions’ responsibilities at any given moment.
The problem: Because Green’s on-court IQ is so high, he sometimes gets bored when not challenged. In the Warriors’ 131-121 win Wednesday night over the Pelicans at Oracle Arena, Green was plenty occupied, which was good news for Golden State.
“I thought he was probably the best player on the floor tonight,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said.
With Green giving him little room to operate, New Orleans center Anthony Davis — one of the most dominant players in the league — finished with 17 points on 6-for-16 shooting, 12 rebounds and seven assists. It was a relative dud for someone who entered the night averaging 27.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 3.8 blocks per game.
The Pelicans, who rely enormously on Davis on both sides of the ball, had little chance. Even with solid efforts from a supporting cast of E’Twaun Moore, Nikola Mirotic, Jrue Holiday and Jerome Randle, they faded in the third quarter as Golden State ran away with its sixth straight victory.
In addition to providing lock-down defense on a likely MVP candidate, Green chipped in 16 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and a block in 34 minutes. What he offers that no other NBA player can rival, however, won’t show up in a box score.
His bravado helped Golden State power through multiple mini-ruts in the first half. Midway through the second quarter, after his defense on Randle helped force a shot-clock violation, Green waved his arms up and down as the crowd roared. In the waning seconds of that period, he drove to the rim, drew contact, flipped in a layup, turned and, with his signature grin, flexed both arms.
Moments like those are why many believe he is the Warriors’ most important player. On a team loaded with mild-mannered personalities, he brings a necessary edge.
“I think the moment (Draymond) wakes up on a game day, he’s going to display energy and effort,” Warriors forward Kevin Durant said. “When he’s that energetic, and rebounding like he did tonight and moving the ball like he did tonight, he just takes us to that next level.”
With Green setting an aggressive tone Wednesday, Stephen Curry (37 points, nine assists), Durant (24 points, eight assists) and Klay Thompson (18 points) were free to spread the floor and hit open shots. The Warriors tallied a league-season-high 39 assists and shot 52.8 percent from the field, including 16-for-32 from three-point range.
“I know we had big point totals and all that, but this was not a very clean game for us,” Kerr said. “When the game gets a little grimy, that tends to be when Draymond is at his best. So, we needed his grit, his intensity. He came through in a big way.”
Added Green: “This team goes off of rhythm and flow, and that’s important for us. But when that flow isn’t there, someone needs to step up. That’s my role on this team.”
Watching from the end of the bench, Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins got a measure of revenge.
After averaging 25.2 points on 47 percent shooting, 12.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 48 games for the Pelicans last season, he sustained a season-ending Achilles tear in a Jan. 26 win over Houston. According to Cousins, he received no offer in free agency from New Orleans, which forced him to revert to what he has called his “last resort” and see whether Golden State was interested in signing him to a mid-level contract.
Green was well aware how badly Cousins, who is still sidelined by that Achilles injury, wanted the Warriors to beat his former team. It was just added motivation on a night he seized one of his biggest defensive challenges of the season.
“He’s still Draymond Green, No. 23 for the Warriors,” Curry said. “You never worry about him finding a way to impact the game.
“It’s great to see him with a little pep in his step, a little juice.”
Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @Con_Chron
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