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Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors walked out of American Airlines Center on Monday night with a 137-131 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks. The result barely registered. Before the final buzzer had a chance to mean anything, the mood inside the building had already shifted completely.
Moses Moody was on a stretcher. His left knee was in a brace. And Draymond Green was crouched beside him, arms wrapped around his teammate, before they wheeled him away.
That was the image that defined Monday night in Dallas.
What Happened Between Draymond and Moody
GettyDraymond Green #23 and Moses Moody #4 of the Golden State Warriors.
It happened with 1:13 left in overtime. Moody picked the pocket of Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg near midcourt and had an open floor ahead of him. A breakaway dunk. The kind of play that ends games and gets highlight packages. As he went to plant and elevate, his left knee buckled underneath him and he crumpled to the floor, unable to get up.
Play continued briefly while Moody lay under the basket, clutching his knee. When the whistle blew on the other end, the Warriors bench emptied. Trainers rushed over. An air brace went on. A stretcher came out.
Before Moody was wheeled off, Green walked over and pulled him in. A hug and an encouraging pat on the back, right there on the court, in front of both benches and a silent arena. Stephen Curry, still sidelined with his own knee issue, had his head in his hands on the bench.
“I just feel for Mo, man,” Green said as he made his way out of the arena.
The Human Side of a Brutal Night
Moody finished with 23 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 34 minutes. He had been one of the best players on the floor all night, pestering Flagg defensively and knocking down big shots when the Warriors needed them most. It was his first game back after missing 10 straight with a wrist injury.
The locker room afterwards told its own story. Per Nick Friedell of The Athletic, the mood was somber and closed to media. Brandin Podziemski compared it to the night Jimmy Butler tore his ACL back in January.
“Same as what happened with Jimmy,” Podziemski said. “Not really words. You just hate to see it. Especially to the good people in life.”
Gary Payton II had watched Moody put in the rehab work to get back from the wrist injury. Seeing him go down in a non-contact situation on his first night back made it harder to process.
“It’s his first game back and he does so much rehab and everything, takes care of his body, does what he needs to do to get back,” Payton said. “Moses does all the right things. It sucks to see Moses go down.”
Steve Kerr had addressed Moody’s performance before the full weight of the injury had settled. “Mo is such a great human being,” Kerr said. “Great teammate. Wonderful guy to coach. Just puts in the work every day and was brilliant tonight, by the way.”
Then came the harder part. “We don’t know what it is, but it sure looked bad,” Kerr said. “Everybody on the floor was just horrified. Players care about players. They know how fragile this business is.”
What It Means for the Warriors
GettyMoses Moody of the Golden State Warriors.
Moody is 23 years old and in the first year of a three-year, $39 million extension. He had been putting together the best season of his career, averaging career highs in points (11.9) and rebounds (3.3) across 60 games. He is one of the better wing defenders on the roster and had been Golden State’s most reliable two-way option outside of the injured starters.
Per Nick Friedell, he will fly back to the Bay Area with the team and get an MRI on Tuesday. The Warriors already have Butler out for the season and Curry sidelined with a persistent knee issue of his own. Al Horford is also out with a calf strain. The roster has taken hit after hit.
The play-in spot is still there. The Brooklyn Nets come to Chase Center on Wednesday. Basketball will continue.
Final Word for the Warriors
Draymond Green has seen a lot in his years with this franchise. Championships, heartbreak, and everything in between. Monday night in Dallas, he crouched down beside a 23-year-old teammate on a stretcher and wrapped his arms around him.
Moody gave the Warriors everything he had on his first night back. The knee gave out on what should have been the exclamation point of the win.
Whatever Tuesday’s MRI brings, that moment on the court in Dallas is what this team will remember from Monday night.
Keith Watkins Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins
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