DeGreen ‘GSW needs younger players’
It’s not a “snipe” at someone new to the team. Draymond Green spoke about the need for “young blood.
The Golden State Warriors (GSW) defeated the host Oklahoma City Thunder 141-139 on Thursday morning (ET) at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City to open the 2023-24 NBA regular season.
Steph Curry led the way with 30 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, while Dario Saric added 20 points, Jonatan Cuminga 19 points, and Klay Thompson 18 points to help the Warriors pull off a thrilling two-point upset.
Curry hit an exhilarating buzzer-beating layup with 0.2 seconds left in the game, which was nearly negated when DeGreen touched the rim with his hand. Fortunately, after a VAR review, the play was allowed to stand and the game ended in GSW’s favor.
“I thought the ball was going to bounce out, so I jumped up to try to push it back in. “I thought it was going to bounce, so I jumped to try and push it back in, but as I was jumping, my stepping foot went forward, so my jump was weird and my hands were stretched out in front of me,” he explained.
As for why the call went in his favor, he explains, “Even though I touched the rim, it was ruled that if you don’t affect the ball, it’s not a foul. We had to accept whatever the referee called, and it was a mercy for us that he called it the way he did,” he continued.
Meanwhile, he emphasized the need for younger players to play in this in-game tournament. 캡틴토토
“It takes a lot of energy to play, especially today, it was a tough game where we really felt the drain. Not having the young guys, Trace Jackson-Davis and BP (Brandin Pogemski), and Lester Quiñones, is crucial. We miss them terribly. They’re the ones that really lifted the energy level of the whole team, and they’re definitely missing. Regardless, we’ll have to take the win and run with it the rest of the way.”
Despite the win, GSW will need to find something to replace the energy levels of their younger players for the rest of the journey. They will be back in action on June 6 when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the tournament’s group stage.