The Warriors looked awfully sleepy in their 119-100 Game 3 loss to the Pelicans on Friday, but Draymond Green was wide awake the next evening before Game 4. Green was watching tape of the forgettable performance according to Chris Haynes of ESPN, leading to a 4 AM motivational text to Kevin Durant, who went 8-18 in the loss.
“I just challenged him to be who he is. I had to tell him,” Green told ESPN. “I didn’t see him attacking or being aggressive enough on both ends of the floor like we need him to be. You know, I don’t hold back. When I see something’s wrong, I have to voice my opinion. There were no hard feelings. We’re just trying to win a ballgame.”
Durant responded with a simple “I got you,” when he saw the text on Sunday morning, and proceeded to torch the Pelicans in Game 4, dropping 38 points in a 118-92 win.
“What we saw from him today, that’s what we need,” Green told ESPN, citing Durant’s going 15-of-27 from the floor to pair with nine boards and five assists in 36 minutes. “He was engaged and scoring all over the place. He was changing the game. That’s the impact he has when he’s playing aggressive out there for us. That’s what I love seeing.”