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Stephen A calls Draymond out after Warriors' loss to Nuggets

Stephen A calls Draymond out after Warriors' loss to Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Draymond Green can talk the talk, but Stephen A. Smith wants to see the Warriors forward walk the walk, too.

Green infamously proclaimed that Golden State would win the NBA Finals this season after the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, but one bad loss to the shorthanded Denver Nuggets on Monday night put things into perspective for the ESPN analyst.

“My eyes are on Draymond Green. Who’s the person who went on national television during All-Star Weekend and guaranteed a championship? Who’s that? That wasn’t Steph. That wasn’t Jimmy. That’s Draymond,” Smith said Tuesday morning on “First Take.” “… We know what a point-forward he is, we know how great he is at setting Steph Curry up, getting him the basketball, pushing the ball up the court, running their offense. We know how valuable Dray is on that level. But if this brother hits his threes when he is open, that changes the dynamic of everything for the Golden State Warriors.

“That’s why the guarantee matters. Because when he’s making shots, that’s a profound positive impact for the Golden State Warriors. I’m not saying you change your strategy because he’s not a shooter. But if you don’t guard him, and you leave him open, and he hits those shots, it changes everything because then they can upset somebody in the Western Conference.

“So that man that opened his mouth and guaranteed a championship, it’s literally on him. Because I know what Jimmy Butler’s going to do. We know what Playoff Jimmy is all about. We know what Steph Curry is all about. But if Draymond hits shots, it’s a different ball game. But he’s got to do it. So it’s on him, a lot of it.”

In 54 games (52 starts) this season, Green is averaging 9.2 points on 43.6-percent shooting from the field and 33.5 percent from 3-point range, with 6.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks in 29 minutes per game.

While Green isn’t known for his scoring much less his shot from beyond the arc, there have been games and even stretches where the do-it-all forward knocks down a couple treys.

In last week’s win over the Sacramento Kings, Green was 4 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with a season-high 23 points. But he was just 1 of 6 from downtown over Golden State’s next two games, including going 0-for-1 from long-range against the Nuggets.

Green’s daily to-do list consists of more than just shooting the ball, but if he would do it more for the Warriors, Smith believes Green’s prediction could come true.

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Sabonis ruled out for Kings-Cavaliers game with ankle sprain

Sabonis ruled out for Kings-Cavaliers game with ankle sprain originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Once again, the Kings will be without Domantas Sabonis on Wednesday night.

Sacramento’s star big man is listed as out for the team’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden 1 Center, per the latest NBA injury report, with a right ankle sprain.

Sabonis sustained the injury in the third quarter of the Kings’ 132-122 win over the Memphis Grizzles on Monday, and it was evident as he hobbled to the locker room that the incident could be serious.

Before the ankle injury, Sabonis was playing in his second game back after missing six contests with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. Disaster struck again Monday when Sabonis was driving to the rim and awkwardly rolled his right ankle as he went for the layup.

In 57 games during the 2024-25 NBA season so far, Sabonis is averaging a double-double with 19.1 points, 14.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists.

The Kings went on to beat the Grizzlies without Sabonis and snap a four-game losing streak, and they’ll have to keep things rolling without him at home Wednesday night against the NBA-leading Cavaliers.

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