SI

Draymond Green's First-Half Heater From Downtown Had Raptors Coach in Disbelief

Karl Rasmussen

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green vs. the Toronto Raptors
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green vs. the Toronto Raptors / John Hefti-Imagn Images
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The Toronto Raptors certainly did not gameplan for the possibility of Draymond Green catching fire from three-point territory.

Green drained four threes early on during the Raptors' clash against the Golden State Warriors, ending the first half with a game-high 18 points.

On one of his three-point jumpers, Green was left unguarded by Toronto and he made them pay. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic couldn't help but smile after Green's fourth three of the game, having clearly not accounted for the possibility of the 35-year-old being a problem from beyond the arc.

In fairness to Rajakovic, Green had previously made four or more three-pointers just twice this season, though he did so last week in a game against the Sacramento Kings. The veteran forward is averaging just 9.1 points per game and shooting 32.6% from deep. He doubled his season scoring average by halftime.

If someone told Rajakovic that the Raptors would hold Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry to a combined 10 points at halftime and still be trailing, he probably wouldn't have believed them. Yet, Green unexpectedly had the hot hand, leaving Rajakovic in disbelief.

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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.

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