Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green admits he lost his defensive matchup against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle in the Western Conference semifinals.
“I lost my matchup,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis” on Saturday. “Julius was incredible. And honestly? Some of the shots was shots that you want him to take, and he made them. … The game oftentimes comes down to shotmaking, and he made the shots.
“We’ve been kinda having these little battles since Ju came into the league. Obviously this is the first one on a playoff level, but I got to give it to him, man, he got the better of me.”
Green likened the feeling of losing his matchup to Randle to playing then-Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam in the 2019 NBA Finals.
Randle averaged 25.2 points, 7.4 assists, and 6.6 rebounds in the Western Conference semifinals. He ranked second on the team in scoring behind Anthony Edwards, who averaged 26.2 points per game.
Green had a quieter series by comparison, posting 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals.
The Timberwolves defeated the Warriors in five games, leading to their second straight Western Conference finals appearance.
In 10 postseason games this year, Randle is averaging 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. In two playoff stints with the New York Knicks in 2021 and 2023, he averaged 18 points per game and 16.6 points per game.
Minnesota faces off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference finals starting Tuesday.
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