SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors will get Draymond Green back from league suspension for Game 4 on Sunday afternoon and (likely) beyond. Down 2-1 in a series against the Sacramento Kings that could go the distance, this team desperately needs his experience and voice back.
But the way the Warriors beat the Kings in his Game 3 absence informs how they can best flip a stunning first-round series deficit.
Playing Kevon Looney as the one big on the floor surrounded by shooters in Game 3 spread the floor and helped limit their turnover count to 11. With Green back in the fold, will Golden State have one of either Looney or Green start off the bench and stagger their minutes to help limit turnovers and optimize the offense?
Green wasn't into the idea that the Warriors' offense works best with only one of the two bigs on the court at a given time. Their 120.5 offensive rating when paired together throughout the entire regular season supports that perspective.
"I think it's a good theory, but I don't think it's actually played out that way," Green said. "I think the way we play, move the ball, we took care of the ball and made great decisions and didn't force anything."
Green asserts that they haven't been forcing passes, but it's clear head coach Mike Brown — a former Warriors assistant — has a Kings defender playing off of either one of the non-shooters as a free safety, of sorts, when both share the floor. That allows the defender to patrol the passing lanes for opportunities to disrupt the Warriors' motion offense.
With both Looney and Green on the floor this series, the Warriors have a 105.4 offensive rating — well below their 112.9 average rating — likely because they were turning the ball over in a dismal 23.2 percent of offensive possessions.The Warriors turned the ball over 15 times in Game 1 and 20 times in Game 2.
Ask any Warrior how they won Game 3 against Sacramento at Chase Center and one consistent answer emerges: Limited turnovers.
A second-half comeback in Game 2 nearly came to fruition with the Warriors playing Green as the only big until his Flagrant 2 foul and ejection, when Looney — in foul trouble himself — took over and was effective.
Green also pointed out that the Warriors offense hasn't been an issue at all this series and were shooting 64% from the field heading into Game 3. Notably, when the pair shared the court over the course of the regular season they boasted a 120.5 offensive rating and turned the ball over in just 14.2 percent of their offensive possessions.
But the turnovers, he cedes, are an issue.
"I don't think our offense, per se, is what was killing us," Green said. "Turnovers and giving up offensive rebounds on the defensive end were killing us. As far as our half-court offense, the half-court has been strong all series."
Even so, the coaching staff might consider that staggering Green or Looney on the court can help mitigate the turnover fiasco they've highlighted as the reason for their early struggles.
"The biggest thing is, regardless of what lineup is out there, we have to take care of the ball. We have to make better decisions and smarter decisions," head coach Steve Kerr said. "It was one of the best part of Steph (Curry)'s game the other night. Everybody focused on the shot making and the points but he had four, five possessions where he had nothing going and pulled the ball back out and got us organized. It was just really impressive to see him control the game.
"Whether it's Steph, Draymond, Klay (Thompson), Jordan (Poole) all of our decision-makers on the ball, we have to be rock solid. We can't come down like we did in Games 1 and 2 and try all kinds of crazy stuff and hit home runs. We have to get organized and efficient right away."
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