Draymond vs. Jokić is matchup to watch in Warriors-Nuggets game
Draymond vs. Jokić is matchup to watch in Warriors-Nuggets game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green's 2025 Defensive Player of the Year campaign, moribund before the All-Star break, now is conspicuous and impressive, gliding across the NBA sky like a comet.
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Now that Green is close enough to almost touch the award, he faces a threat that can interfere with his flight. Denver's redoubtable Nikola Jokić, three-time MVP and perhaps the league's most skilled offensive player, is coming to town Friday night.
This is the daunting welcome-home greeting that awaits Draymond and the Warriors after a stirring two-week road trip. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins with 'Warriors Pregame Live' at 6 p.m., followed by tipoff from Chase Center shortly after 7.
The Green-Jokić matchup is the backdrop of a game with serious implications. Golden State (45-31) is fifth in the Western Conference standings, 1.5 games behind the third-place Nuggets (47-30). Both teams are eager to remain in the top six, thereby avoiding the play-in tournament.
Jokić simply presents more problems for a defense than any other player in the NBA. He's third in scoring (29.7 points per game), second in rebounding (12.8), second in assists (10.2) and is shooting a career-high 41.6 percent beyond the arc.
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'I feel very confident that most centers in the NBA, I can outthink – maybe not Joker,' Green, who gives away five inches and about 50 pounds, said a few weeks ago.
Jokić is the exception to most every rule. Nobody 'stops' him, but Draymond approaches the task by trying to bother the 6-foot-11, 280-pound superstar enough to disrupt rhythm. He's averaging 21.6 points per game over his last 10 matchups with Green.
Considering Jokić in his last game produced 61 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, Draymond – and the Warriors – would gladly take a 22-point night at Chase.
If the Nuggets prevail with Jokić dominating the action on Friday – he obviously has the capacity to do so – it could slow the momentum of Green's DPOY campaign. One game, however, should not have a massive impact on voters.
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But a Golden State victory, coupled with a defensively impactful game from Draymond, surely would impress voters still studying the work of other candidates, such as Cleveland's Evan Mobley and Oklahoma City's Lu Dort.
This is a night on which the Warriors have a chance to accomplish two important goals. Winning would snap a nine-game losing streak against the Nuggets that dates to March 10, 2022. And Green has a chance to clinch the second DPOY award of his 13-year career.
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