Draymond Green put up two points on Thursday night and still shaped the Golden State Warriors' sixth straight win. The assists column was the story.
Green finished with a season-high 11 assists, five rebounds, one steal and one block in 27 minutes as Golden State beat the Miami Heat 120-100 at Chase Center. ESPN's box matches that line and shows him 1 of 3 from the field with three turnovers and a plus-13. The Warriors moved to 6-3. Miami dropped to 3-6.
Stephen Curry led all scorers with 29 points and six 3-pointers, but the possession work ran through Green. The Associated Press led with Curry's scoring and still flagged Green's season-high assist total as the organizing number for a night Golden State won by 20.
Tied at the half, then a break
Miami took the first quarter 29-26. Golden State answered in the second, and the teams went to the locker room knotted at 53. The Warriors' recap said the game was tied nine times before Golden State finally seized control, including a stretch in the second when Green hit Curry with a football pass for a fast-break layup that helped flip the lead.
The third quarter ended the argument. Golden State outscored Miami 38-23. The AP described a 26-9 Heat drought in the period; the Warriors' site called it a 20-4 run. Either way, Miami never climbed back inside single digits for long. Green kept the ball moving while Curry scored 14 in the quarter, per the club recap, and the lead held through a 29-24 fourth.
A facilitator night in a scoring streak
Curry came in hunting a fourth consecutive 30-point outing and settled for 29 after sitting late, the AP reported. Green's line went the other direction: almost no shots, constant creation. Yaxel Lendeborg supported him with 17 points, eight boards and six helpers.
Will Richard, starting for the second time this season, scored Golden State's first two baskets - both off Green assists, the Warriors said - and finished with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Georges Niang added 13 off the bench.
Golden State piled up 36 assists as a team on 42 made field goals, according to the NBA.com box, a share that fits a Green-paced night more than a isolation one. The Warriors also recorded 11 steals and nine blocks.