The Golden State Warriors used a dominant second half to rout the Orlando Magic 120-97 on Monday.
Stephen Curry had a game-high 26 points, Jimmy Butler had an efficient 21, and the Warriors allowed just 40 second-half points.
Normally, a takeaways piece off a dominant win would be headlined by positive storylines.
But instead we begin with a strange Draymond Green game.
Draymond Could Be Losing High-End Minutes Role
Draymond Green played a normal allotment of minutes in the first half, before playing the first 3.5 minutes of the third quarter.
He was subbed out earlier than usual after committing an awful turnover in transition (it was his only turnover of the game).
He never got back in the game.
Green did not play poorly. In 18 minutes, he had nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, seven rebounds and two assists. He was a team-low minus-five, which isn’t a surprise considering the Warriors were down by five when he checked out and ended up winning by 28.
A video is circling on social media that Green got into a heated discussion with Steve Kerr before going to the locker room, presumably to cool down.
Green getting pulled earlier than he’d like was warranted based on how he’s been playing for weeks.
In his last six games, Green has a combined plus-minus of minus-62. He entered Monday second in the NBA in turnovers per 36 minutes.
This is one of the worst stretches of Green’s career. My guess is the combination of his lack of trade value to rebuilding teams and his longtime relationships with Stephen Curry, Joe Lacob and Kerr mean he won’t get traded, but I can’t remember the last time I considered whether the Warriors were a better team with him off the floor.
Podz and Moody Shine, Complicating Trade-Season Decisions
Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody have been up-and-down this season, so the Warriors have to predict whether Monday’s “up” is a sign of things to come or another flash in the pan.
If it is the beginning of sustained good play, the Warriors could have much tougher trade decisons in the coming weeks.
Moody played easily his best game in over a month, scoring 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting with three assists and two blocks.
Podz came into Monday having played well over his last 10 games, but this was also one of his better games of the season, as he had 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting with five assists.
Moody was plus-23. Podz was a game-high plus-36(!).
They were outstanding on both ends, which makes you wonder if the Warriors should keep them at the trade deadline.
This is, of course, a common trap for the Golden State front office. They often claim they can’t trade a player when he’s struggling because his value is too low, but then they claim he’s too important to trade when he’s playing well.
Earlier today I wrote that the Warriors shouldn’t trade Podz unless they get a) a big wing upgrade such as Trey Murphy III or Michael Porter Jr. or b) a big center upgrade such as Ivica Zubac.
If Moody can string together several good games in a row, he might deserve the same treatment.