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DETROIT – On nearly every spot on the court stood Kevin Durant, as he scored at will from the perimeter, the free-throw line and at the rim. On nearly every spot on the court stood Draymond Green, as he set his teammates up with open looks and stuffed opponents everywhere on the court.
The Warriors may miss Stephen Curry’s outside shooting and floor spacing as he remains sidelined for the next two weeks with a sprained right ankle. But the Warriors seemed just fine in a 102-98 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday that featured Durant doing everything on offense and Green blending a perfect array of playmaking and defending. As Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, “KD and Draymond were all over the place.” And as a result, the Warriors (21-6) became only the 11th team in NBA history to go undefeated in a six-game trip.
Durant posted a season-high 36 points while shooting 12-of-23 from the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point range and adding 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks.
“He has the ball a lot more obviously. He’s so capable of making plays for himself or for others,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “That’s the biggest thing. He’s got a much bigger burden on his shoulders offensively. He handled it beautifully.”
Despite those increased ball-handling duties, Durant played the same way that earned him eight All-Star appearances, a regular-season MVP and a Finals MVP. The Warriors also logged 29 assists, which is near their season average when Curry is normally on the court (30.9).
“It’s just more opportunity. Coach may call a couple more plays for me. But he always keeps me involved,” said Durant. “Obviously we’re going to want to have our leading scorer and we don’t have him out there. So we try to generate different points in different ways.”
Green could not generate points. He scored two points on only 1-of-6 shooting in a performance he refused to blame on his sore right shoulder even if he conceded passing up some shots. But Green compensated with a season-high 13 assists and a career-high six blocks.
“I never judge my game by the way I shoot on any particular night,” Green said. “It’s just something you have to be able to contribute in other ways when your shot is not falling.”
Durant’s shot was falling, but his game was not perfect. Durant committed a costly turnover that set up Pistons guard Avery Bradley sinking a 3-pointer that cut the Warriors’ lead to 100-98 with 22.7 seconds left. After Warriors guard Shaun Livingston then missed two foul shots, Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Livingston stopped Pistons guard Reggie Jackson at the basket. Thompson, who had 21 points, then made two foul shots for a 102-98 cushion with 5.3 seconds remaining.
The lasting image for Durant, though, traced back to the second quarter. As he stood at the top of the key, Durant reached a moment where he had plenty of options to dig out of what he has called his “bag of tricks.”
This time, Durant unveiled his precise footwork, smooth ball handling and accurate shooting stroke. He crossed over Pistons guard Anthony Tolliver three times. Durant then cut toward above the free-throw line. Then he pulled up for a mid-range jumper that splashed into the net.
“As soon as I wake up, I feel like this whole life is a streetball game to me,” Durant said. “I try to look at it as such. When I’m out there, I try to be creative and go back to how I started playing the game. Plays like that, definitely bring me back to my childhood. I just try to approach it that way with a streetball mentality and it helps me out.”
That mentality has fueled Durant in different ways. With Curry out for the past two games, Durant has clearly become the team’s go-to-scorer with his ability to thwart off defenders with his ball handling, footwork and shooting. In Wednesday’s win over Charlotte, Durant posted 35 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. In Friday’s win over Detroit, Durant staved from the Pistons’ third-quarter charge with 13 points while going 4-of-7 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 3-of-4 from the foul line.
Yet, Durant did not compromise the Warriors’ season-long goal in establishing an offensive identity focused more on ball movement than star power. As Green observed, “it’s not like KD is saying ‘Get me the ball on every play and I’m going to do this. We let it happen naturally.”
“He’s not doing anything differently,” said Warriors forward David West, who had 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. “He’s still aggressive. We’re trying not to give him the ball and stand and watch. Trying to make sure where guys know where to be. There are times we have to depend on heavily. There are other times where guys are trying to be able to fill in.”
Green managed to do that, too. He organized a Warriors defense that posted a season-high 15 blocks, the most since recording 15 against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 29, 2006. Green also oversaw a defense that offered a blend of contesting shots both at the rim and from behind the perimeter.
“Draymond’s game is never measured by whether he is making shots or scoring points,” Kerr said. “When he does, it’s just gravy. But it’s everything else that he does that makes him such a star.”
So even if the Warriors lacked their other star in Stephen Curry, they managed just fine. Curry left Charlotte on Thursday to the Bay Area to recover and rest at home, while benefiting from reduced travel. There, Curry watched on television how Durant and Green covered every area of the court to compensate for Curry’s absence.
“We definitely miss him,” Durant said of Curry. “We have to figure out ways to score the ball and find the open man. Defensively is where we also step it up a notch.”
Injury update
Warriors center Zaza Pachulia sat out against Detroit after aggravating his sore left shoulder on Wednesday against Charlotte, though Kerr reported an MRI taken on Thursday did not reveal anything serious. Warriors guard Patrick McCaw missed his second consecutive game after nursing concussion symptoms. McCaw has since advanced toward completing work on a treadmill, a bike and an eye test as part of the NBA’s concussion protocol. He plans to have a non-contact workout on Sunday.
Warriors center JaVale McGee started in Pachulia’s place and posted two points on 1-of-4 shooting and four rebounds in 15 minutes. Livingston started in Curry’s place and had 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Compare and contrast
Green had a hint of nostalgia when comparing Detroit’s downtown arena to the Palace of Auburn Hills, which hosted the Pistons from 1988 to 2017.
“I miss the Palace,” Green said. “I love the Palace. The Palace is great. Little Caesar’s is a nice arena. But it definitely wasn’t as loud as the palace.”
