Draymond Green turned back the clock on Wednesday, delivering a defensive performance that felt straight out of his 2016-2017 DPOY season during the play-in tournament clash between the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers. His effort, especially while guarding Kawhi Leonard, drew praise from fans everywhere.
What makes Green’s outing even more impressive is the reports that came in a day later, regarding him being under the weather.
On Thursday’s episode of NBA Today, Shams Charania reported that Green was sick even before the game started, puking everywhere in the Intuit Dome.
“Team sources told me Draymond Green was sick, he was throwing up, puking all over the place in pregame, sideline, in the back area, by the locker room,” Charania said. “You could tell as the game was starting, his energy level looked a little low.”
Once fans learned that Green powered through that kind of illness and still delivered, reactions poured in quickly.
“Draymond’s Jordan Flu game, I’m crying,” @ItsJoshPadilla said.
“I guess you could say that Draymond Green was… sick last night?” @MrBuckBuckNBA wrote.
“And yet the one who was choking was Kawhi,” @MrBuckBuckNBA added.
“He is the best defender of this generation. Shame that he only has one DPOY,” @diptimahapatra said.
“He put up THAT performance while SICK??? Goodness,” @Dubnatioa said.
“Draymonds Flu game is better than MJs don’t @ me,” @saiyan_tubee wrote.
As if playing through illness wasn’t enough, Green also appeared to hyperextend his left knee during the game. Late in the fourth quarter, he briefly sat on the bench during a stoppage, stretching it out before jumping right back in without missing time.
Moments later, he delivered two huge defensive plays. Around the 0:50 mark, he intercepted an inbound pass from Bennedict Mathurin, which led to an and-one finish by Brandin Podziemski. On the very next possession, with about 0:42 left, he stripped Leonard clean, a play that essentially sealed the game.
Draymond Green finished with seven points, six rebounds, nine assists, and four steals. Alongside Steph Curry, who scored 35 points, he helped the Warriors to keep their season alive with a 126-121 win.
Draymond Green receives praise from Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard put together one of the best scoring seasons of his career in 2025-2026, averaging 27.9 points per game. Beyond his usual elite defense, his offensive production helped the LA Clippers recover from a rough 6-21 start and finish strong with a 36-19 run.
After the All-Star break, Leonard found another gear offensively. In games where he played more than 30 minutes, he averaged 30.3 points, showing just how dominant he could be when fully involved.
That momentum did not carry over into Wednesday’s do-or-die matchup. Leonard played nearly 40 minutes, his highest workload in this calendar year, but finished with just 21 points. He also committed five turnovers, his most since Feb. 20.
A big reason for that struggle was Draymond Green, who took on the primary defensive assignment. Leonard acknowledged the challenge after the game.
“Hall of Fame defender. It was hard to even get shots up,” Leonard said.
Green will get a much-needed day off to recover before returning on Friday, when his team faces the Phoenix Suns in the final play-in game with the #8 seed in the playoffs on the line.
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