San Fransico – Draymond Green returned to action after missing seven games due to a left calf strain, providing a much-needed presence as the Warriors’ “Floor General.” His return comes at an ideal time, with Golden State wrapping up a successful homestand above .500.
The Warriors secured a 104-99 victory over the Orlando Magic, positioning themselves well before heading on the road. With Chase Center set to undergo preparations for NBA All-Star Weekend during Valentine’s weekend, Golden State concluded its six-game homestand with a strong 4-2 record.
“Draymond was good,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “I mean he changes everything defensively just with his activity, communication, covering up when we do make mistakes. I thought he looked good.”
Green played 29 minutes under a minutes restriction, contributing 4 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins continued his strong scoring stretch, recording 25-plus points in two of his last three games and 20 or more in three of his last five. He also knocked down a season-high 10 free throws.
Stephen Curry notched his 25th game of the season with 20 or more points, including two of his last three outings. He was perfect from the free-throw line, sinking all eight attempts—just one shy of his season-high (nine on 12/8 vs. MIN).
Kevon Looney dominated the boards, grabbing a season-high 15 rebounds, surpassing his previous best of 13 (1/18 vs. WAS).
The Warriors trailed by as many as 11 points and went on to win, marking their ninth double-figure comeback victory of the season. Golden State leads the season series vs. Orlando 1-0. The teams meet for the second and final time on February 27 at Orlando.
Green’s presence energizes the team, creating space for Curry to shoot more freely—an area that has been challenging against top opponents. Beyond his impact on the court, Green serves as a vocal leader, providing motivation and guidance to his teammates throughout the game.
Whether on the floor or the bench, he constantly communicates, offering strategic insights and helping his teammates improve their play.
“I felt pretty good,” said Green. “I just gotta get my legs back underneath me and get my rhythm back. But I could defend so I’ll live with that for now.
ON HIS REHAB:
I had a little small tear in my calf. So it was just rehabbing it. The first few days, it was really sore. Then, after that, it gradually got better. It’s tricky, first thing Rick (Celebrini) said to me it’s one of those things you don’t know like it just goes. There’s no signs or anything like that, I wasn’t tight or anything. It’s tricky because as you’re going through the rehab process you have to be conscious of that. Like at any point it can just go. So being careful but I always tell y’all Rick’s the best in the game so just follow along his plan. Every day he asks me how I feel, I tell him I feel pretty good, and he comes up with a plan, then he puts the plan together, and I execute it. So it’s good to rehab and get stronger. But I’m happy to be back and playing because the rehab process here is pretty hard, they kind of crush you, like seven-hour days. Everybody else comes in for two hours so I’m happy to be back playing.”
ON IF HE KNEW HOW LONG HE WOULD BE OUT WITH HIS CALF INJURY:
“Well I had the left calf thing with my back and so we’re obviously always leery of that but we figured it out pretty quickly. I was pretty confident that it was just my calf. So we just kind of played it by ear those first few days. Those first few days usually kind of tell you where it’s headed or not, like if it’s improving, and kind of by day three the pain had kind of subsided a bit. Then it was just that awareness like ‘Oh man there’s something there, like with every movement I’m aware of this’. But not quite painful. But that’s the tricky part though because you all of a sudden think ‘Oh it’s not painful anymore’. Then you kind of jolt and it can go. I think we were pretty confident after the first few days that it would kind of go as I progressed, and it wouldn’t be two months or anything like that. But like I said any muscle injury is tricky because there is often, there’s not a warning and it just kind of goes.”
Up Next: The Warriors travel to Utah to face the Jazz on Wednesday, February 5 (6 p.m. PT), in the first game of a six-game road trip.
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