Sports

Draymond Green Loved What Kawhi Leonard Had to Say About Him After the Warriors' Play-In Game Win

By Andy Nesbitt Sports Illustrated

The Warriors looked like the Warriors of old on Wednesday night as they rallied in the final minutes from a double-digit deficit to stun the Clippers, 126-121, to save their season and set up a date with the Suns on Friday night in the NBA play-in tournament.

Leading the way for the Warriors were two guys who have been leading the way for years-Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Curry finished with a game-high 35 points that included a vintage three-pointer that gave the Warriors the lead with 50 seconds left in the game.

Green, meanwhile, did what he has built his Hall of Fame career on as he applied suffocating defense on Kawhi Leonard all night long, but especially when it mattered the most.

While Curry's performance was electric, Green's work on the defensive end was dominant and now the Warriors are a win away from setting up a first round date with the Thunder.

Let's dive into Green's defensive masterpiece.

What Kawhi Leonard had to say about Draymond Green's defense

Leonard finished the night with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting. He was hounded by Green all night, but especially down the stretch when the Warriors made their run. He had the ultimate praise for Green after the game.

"Hall of Fame defender," said Leonard, who averaged 27.9 points a game in the regular season. "It was hard to even get shots up."

Draymond Green loved hearing that from Kawhi Leonard

Green, who had just seven points but added four steals, was told about Leonard's comment after the game and he was so happy to hear it.

"To hear one of the greats say that about me, man, that's special," Green said. That's why you do it. You want respect from your peers. He's not just an ordinary peer. Again, he's one of the greats. So to hear him say that about me, man, that guy took a Defensive Player of the Year award away from me and to say that about me, that mean's a lot. It means a lot because he's a man of few words but when he speaks it's loud because he doesn't speak much. I don't think there's a player in the NBA that does not respect Kawhi Leonard, he's a special guy. I'm grateful to hear him say that about me because ultimately you just want the respect from your peers. I'm very thankful for that.

Here's a look at how Draymond Green hounded Kawhi Leonard down the stretch

Looking for visual proof of how how dominant Green was against Leonard? Well, here you go:

Steve Kerr gave love to Draymond Green after the win

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has been through all the battles with Green, as they have won four NBA titles during their long run together.

After Wednesday night's win, Kerr was in awe of what Green did against Leonard and didn't hold back with his praise.

"He's the best defender I've ever seen in my life," Kerr said. "It's just insane what he does out there. The job he did on Kawhi. I thought our coaches of did a really good job of the game plan to blitz Kawhi and put and crowd around him. So the preparation was good and the players really followed through."

The Warriors will next face the Suns on Friday night at 10 p.m. ET.

More NBA Playoffs from Sports Illustrated



This article was originally published on www.si.com as Draymond Green Loved What Kawhi Leonard Had to Say About Him After the Warriors' Play-In Game Win.

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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 8:30 AM.

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