On Monday night, the Golden State Warriors delivered one of their most complete performances of the season, cruising to a 120-97 win over the Orlando Magic at Chase Center. The victory brought them back to .500 at 15-15, and for the first time in a while, the second half felt like vintage Warriors basketball-fluid ball movement, active defense, and a bench that sparked real momentum. But as smooth as things looked on the scoreboard, there was a moment of turbulence on the sideline that reminded everyone this team is still working through some internal friction.
Midway through the third quarter, with Golden State holding a narrow 71-66 lead and 8:31 left on the clock, head coach Steve Kerr called a timeout. What followed was a heated exchange between Kerr and Draymond Green-one that ended with Green heading straight for the locker room, visibly upset. The moment was jarring, especially considering Green had just returned from an indefinite suspension and was looking to reintegrate into a team that’s still trying to find its identity this season.
Kerr, who’s coached Green for the entirety of his head coaching career, downplayed the incident after the game. And if there’s one relationship in the NBA that’s been battle-tested over the years, it’s Kerr and Green.
They’ve been through it all-championship runs, playoff wars, and yes, plenty of sideline blowups. This wasn’t new territory.
What was new, though, was how the team responded. After Green was subbed out for rookie guard Brandin Podziemski, the Warriors didn’t just hold the line-they took off.
Golden State outscored Orlando 49-31 the rest of the way, and Podziemski finished with a game-high plus-36. That’s not a typo.
The 20-year-old continues to show poise beyond his years, making smart reads, staying active defensively, and injecting pace into the offense. He’s not just filling minutes-he’s earning them.
As for Green, this was another chapter in a long story. He’s the emotional engine of this team, no question.
His intensity, his voice, and his edge have been central to the Warriors’ identity for over a decade. But that same fire can burn hot, and when it does, it sometimes flares up in ways that test the team’s patience.
Monday night was one of those moments.
The Warriors know what they signed up for with Draymond. He’s a future Hall of Famer, a former Defensive Player of the Year, and one of the smartest defenders the game has seen. But he’s also a player who walks a fine line emotionally, and when things go sideways, it can get messy.
"We got into it, obviously... We had it out a little bit, and he made his decision to go back to the locker room and cool off. That's all I'm going to say about it. Everything is private."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 23, 2025
Steve Kerr on his intense exchange with Draymond Green 👀pic.twitter.com/slAQzWXVAm https://t.co/CkDByMwQGI
The question now is whether this latest incident will have any impact on Green’s availability for the Warriors’ Christmas Day matchup against the Dallas Mavericks-a marquee game on the NBA calendar. As of now, nothing is certain. But with Golden State trying to build momentum heading into the heart of the season, the hope is that Monday’s sideline spat was just a temporary flare-up, not a sign of deeper issues.
For now, the Warriors will take the win, the .500 record, and the encouraging signs from their young core. But as always with this team, the drama doesn’t stay far away.