Warriors instant analysis: Steph Curry, Draymond Green outduel Antetokounmpo in win over Bucks

SAN FRANCISCO – On one side was the game’s most unstoppable inside scorer. On the other, one of the few defenders who has proven he is capable of putting up a challenge. 

Draymond Green, as he often does, took on the challenge of guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Warriors’ 120-113 victory the visiting Bucks in the first of an eight-game home-stand. 

Steph Curry was brilliant with 32 points on Wednesday night. Marquette alum Jimmy Butler put up 21 points, while Milwaukee native Brandin Podziemski had six rebounds and four assists off the bench.

De’Anthony Melton scored a season-high 22 for Golden State. While Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 34, Green made him work for most of those points.

Green, not known for his coring prowess, even hit a couple of 3-pointers and made a free throw on three consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter.

Last season, Green’s Defensive Player of the Year candidacy began in earnest during a mid-March victory over the Bucks, when Green held Antetokounmpo to 5 of 16 shooting in a win where Steph Curry did not play. 

Though Antetokounmpo got his points, the rest of the Bucks offense appeared stilted at times, relegated to isolation possessions.

Neither team played much defense in the first quarter, with both sides shooting over 55% from the field as the score was tied 31 apiece at the end of 12 minutes. 

That did not mean there was no intrigue, as both Antetokounmpo and Green were involved in a handful of chippy altercations in a half that concluded with the Warriors up 64-53. 

The two bigs had a long conversation in the second quarter after Green fouled the Greek superstar on a drive. Then, later in the quarter, Green gave his adversary a hard shove in the chest on a trip downcourt that was not called a foul. 

After halftime, the Antetokounmpo-led Bucks went on an 8-0 run, a burst the Warriors answered with an 11-4 run of their own. Curry scored 13 points in the quarter as the Warriors finished the period up 98-82. Though the Bucks never quite went away, Golden State held them at bay to improve to 20-18. 

The Warriors play against the Kings on Friday. 

Al Horford rebounds like its 2009

Because of his advanced age, 39-year-old Al Horford does not play in back-to-backs and generally plays under 20 minutes. He was coming off a string of impressive shooting nights, including a 13-point night against Oklahoma City. Though he shot only 1 of 8 against the Clippers on Monday, Horford showed he was unbothered by the time Wednesday rolled around.

Playing against a Bucks team that Horford often tormented in the postseason as a member of the Hawks and Celtics, he grabbed a season-high nine rebounds in the first half alone. The center finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and six assists in just 19 minutes.

On top of those gaudy stats, Horford showed he still had some juice on defense, being in position to help on Bucks drives on multiple occasions.

Kerr’s mother “horrified”

No matter how old one gets, being scolded by their mother is an experience no person wants to experience. Steve Kerr, 60, had to answer to his mom, Ann, after being ejected from Monday’s loss at the Clippers. 

Ms. Kerr, who is in her 90s, was disappointed in her son’s actions, Steve Kerr share during Wednesday’s pregame press conference, his first public comments since that ejection. He did not attend the postgame press conference in Inglewood. 

Kerr had to be held back by Gary Payton II and assistant coaches Terry Stotts and Kris Weems as he berated head referee Brian Forte. 

“She looked horrified afterwards, and she asked me if I was going to hit the referee,” Kerr said. “I said, ‘Mom, I’ve never hit anybody in my life …. She said ‘Why were all of those men holding you back?’ Well, that’s all part of the theatrics.’”

Stotts, who coached Portland from 2012-21 and is now a lead assistant on Kerr’s staff, took over coaching and press conference responsibilities in the Los Angeles area. 

Gui Santos shines

Gary Payton II missed the game with a left ankle sprain, a malady that Kerr hopes will not linger for more than a night. So for at least one night, Brazilian fans got to rejoice as their countryman Gui Santos got to play extended minutes. 

Santos had spent the past two games playing exclusively in the fourth quarter as an energizer, but checked into the game in the first quarter against Milwaukee. He was plus-12 in just 18 minutes, but also showed why he is best in smaller doses with two turnovers.