Want more ways to catch up on the latest in Bay Area sports? Sign up for the Section 415 email newsletter here and subscribe to the Section 415 podcast wherever you listen.

SAN ANTONIO — The Warriors’ two biggest wins this season have a couple of things in common. 

Steph Curry scored 41 in the home opener, an Oct. 23 overtime victory over the title-contending Nuggets. Then, to halt a losing skid and quell a mini crisis, he poured in 46 on the Spurs on Wednesday in San Antonio. 

Curry was magnificent in both. So was Draymond Green. 

Green limited Nuggets star Nikola Jokic to 8-for-23 shooting, then straight-jacketed Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama into eight turnovers. Both Jokic and Wembanyama had their worst games of the season against the Warriors, and that’s no coincidence. 

“I told the coaches, this is such a Draymond night,” head coach Steve Kerr said after the win. “He’s got the highest plus-minus on our team; he’s one of the most impactful guys. The way he guarded Wemby was incredible. And then you look at the box score, he’s 1-for-10, fouls out, four turnovers. But the guy just wins. He’s a winner.” 

Those two victories are proof of concept that there’s an extra gear for Golden State (7-6) to hit. They’re evidence of the Warriors still being able to elevate to meet stiff competition — that in the biggest moments, when the games mean the most, they can hang with just about anyone. 

And they’re evidence that the formula is more or less the same as it always has been: Steph and Draymond, Draymond and Steph. 

The Warriors will always go as far as Curry carries them. But the team asks just as much of Green, who single-handedly keeps the defense afloat. 

With Green on the floor this season, the Warriors have a 108.4 defensive rating — a mark that would rank No. 2 in the NBA. That number plummets to 119.8 with him off, which would rank No. 26.

Green’s burden is as heavy as ever, as the Warriors are once again asking the 6-foot-6 anomaly to play the majority of his minutes at center with their new starting lineup, alongside Curry, Will Richard, Moses Moody, and Jimmy Butler. 

“I don’t give a shit,” Green said this week when asked about starting at center. 

The Warriors have been open about trying to avoid this scenario because of how much contending with opposing 7-footers physically taxes Green, 35. But he’s always been cut out for it. 

He showed that against Jokic, the best player in the world. The Warriors were able to live with Green defending Jokic without sending double teams, which negated his godly playmaking might. Jokic had just two assists and one turnover in the five minutes Green individually defended him, per NBA.com (opens in new tab) matchup data. Jokic shot 3-for-5 with Green in front of him but hung out on the perimeter more than usual because of the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year’s resistance.

That game, backup center Al Horford actually had the most success against Jokic, forcing him to 3-for-11 shooting from the field and 2-for-8 from deep. 

Green was back at it Wednesday in San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center. A day after getting smacked by Oklahoma City and calling out his team for what he deemed a lack of commitment to doing anything possible to win, Green needed to make a statement on the court. 

He was under Wembanyama’s skin from the opening tip. The first possession, Wembanyama tried to go at Green in isolation. Green held his ground, using his lower body to cut off a driving path to the lane. Green forced Wembayama into a tough turnaround shot that missed. Game on. 

As others have tried, and often failed, Green stayed low in his stance and attacked Wembanyama’s dribble. His combination of hands and strength make him uniquely equipped to slow down a player who’s becoming increasingly unsolvable. 

Wembanyama committed a season-high eight turnovers in the game. Five of those came against Green, who held him to 4-of-12 shooting and sent him to the foul line only once. 

That’s not supposed to be possible for someone giving 10 inches of height.  

Watch how Green navigates this action between Wembanyama and point guard De’Aaron Fox. It’s a basic high pick-and-roll in the middle of the court with shooters flattened in the corner — presumably San Antonio’s bread-and-butter offensive set. 

Green shows to Fox before recovering to Wembanyama on the dive. Buddy Hield is in good position as a help defender at the elbow, which buys Green a half-second to get back in front of the center. 

Green’s presence in the paint makes Wembanyama think twice about lifting for a jumper or trying to sneak in a finger roll. He spins instead and throws a wild pass into the hands of a ball-hawking Butler. 

The play was classic Green: smarts, quickness, physicality. 

Green also won in isolation situations over and over again. 

Look at how Green shuffles his feet to stay attached to Wembanyama on this drive. The Spurs center is so massive and rangy, he needs to get within five or so feet of the rim to rise up and either dunk or kiss a layup off the glass. Green walls off the paint and forces him into a wild pass. 

Green’s timing remains elite. On this next play, he rises with Wembanyama as he gathers the ball for a jumper, disrupting his rhythm so much that he throws a pass away. 

The play didn’t go down in the box score as a block, but it sure looked like Green got a hand on the ball. Wembanyama has been blocked only twice this year and had just 20 shots blocked last season. 

Wembanyama shook his head in frustration as he ran back on defense. 

The teams match up again Friday. If Green can have Wembanyama shaking his head like that again, it’ll be a good sign for the Warriors.