Draymond Green energizes Golden State Warriors in return, helps fuel Stephen Curry's 47-point birthday outing

SAN FRANCISCO — The moment Draymond Green checked into the Golden State Warriors' 126-112 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night may have been the best birthday present for Stephen Curry could have wished for.

It had been two-and-a-half months since the two shared the floor — and 1,005 days since they played as a trio with Klay Thompson.

Seconds after Green entered the game at the 4:47 mark of the first quarter, Curry called a play that required Green to be the floor general, bringing the ball up the court and directing traffic. The play ended with a Curry wing 3-pointer.

«He threw me right in the fire,» Green told ESPN. «I checked in and he called a play where I had the ball. And I was very thankful for that because it immediately allowed me to settle down.

»That's one thing I won't forget," Green said. «I may forget a lot of things but one thing I won't forget how to get him the ball.»

With his right-hand man back by his side, Curry finished the night with 47 points on 16-of-25 shooting, including seven 4-pointers — all of which he made with Green on the court. In fact, Curry scored 41 of his points on 13-of-16 shooting when playing next to Green.

«One hundred percent,» Warriors coach Steve Kerr said when asked if there was a correlation between Curry's night and Green's return.

«It changed for Steph right away, as soon as Draymond got out there,» Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. «The chessboard changes with Draymond out there. With Steph, everything looks and feels a little bit different.»

Green and Curry's two-man game has become well established over the past 10 years. According to Thompson, the combination of Curry's ability to score from anywhere and Green's court vision and passing capabilities makes