Draymond Green scored 2 points Thursday night, which is precisely why his 11 assists deserve the opening sentence. In Golden State’s 120-100 victory over Miami at Chase Center, Green’s offensive value came from making other players productive, not from trying to decorate his own line.
The Warriors had 36 assists on 42 field goals, a ratio that made Stephen Curry’s 29 points feel like the finish to a group project rather than the entire assignment.
Green’s 11 assists were a season high. He contributed a basket himself while repeatedly receiving credit for the pass before a teammate’s score. That is an effective offensive night even without a large shooting total. It also fits the shape of Golden State’s scoring: several players were finishing chances, rather than waiting for Curry to account for the whole attack.
The third quarter supplied the clearest example. The teams were tied 53-53 at halftime, then Golden State scored 38 points while Miami managed 23. An important 26-9 stretch widened the game, and it came from several sources.
At 11:12 of the period, Green was credited with the assist on Curry’s 28-foot 3-pointer. That was the familiar superstar finishing a play, but it was Green who received the assist credit.
The rest of the quarter kept changing authors. Al Horford assisted Curry on a 24-foot 3-pointer with 6:55 left, and Curry returned the favor at 6:10 by assisting Horford on a 25-foot jumper. Horford finished 3-for-3 from the field, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range, and scored 8 points in 18 minutes. Georges Niang added 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting, with two 3-pointers.
That is the offensive variety Golden State needed. The Warriors did not have to make every possession a Curry possession; they had enough passing and shooting around him to get productive contributions from several different finishers. Horford’s perfect shooting night was small in volume but large in effect, especially during a quarter when Golden State was turning a tie into control.
Curry still supplied the burst that makes these nights look familiar. He began 1-for-8 from the field and was 2-for-10 by halftime, then finished 9-for-19 after making 7 of his 9 second-half attempts. He went 6-for-12 from 3-point range and made all five free throws.
At 8:20 of the third, Will Richard was credited with the assist on Curry’s 25-foot running pullup. Green’s credited assist had come earlier, at 11:12, on the 28-footer that began Curry’s third-quarter scoring surge.
