Draymond Green’s ‘terrible’ admission after shock loss to Giannis without Bucks

He had a 4-1 start to the 2025-26 NBA season Golden State Warriors sits pretty near the top of the Western Conference standings. While the Dubs played great basketball, starting 3-0 at home and Draymond Green fueled by their elite defensive effort, it seemed destined for this team to play the game. It happened Thursday night in Milwaukee.

Just before tip-off, Milwaukee Bucks rule superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is out with a knee injuryleading many to believe Golden State would run away with their fifth win in six games to start the season.

However, Ryan Rollins and the Bucks had other ideas, as the former Warriors guard exploded for a career-high 32 points on 13-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. As a team, the Bucks shot 47.9 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from 3-point range. Eight players scored in double figures for Milwaukee, including all of their starters.

Overall, this was simply a poor performance from the Warriors, who turned the ball over 19 times and never seemed to get a timely stop on defense. After the game, Green handled the team’s defensive efforts, and he didn’t hide his feelings about how the team played.

“Yeah, we were horribly shorthanded,” Green admitted in the Dubs locker room, via ESPN’s Anthony Slater. “They went downhill over and over again, which then led to open shots. And then the team feels good … and they’re NBA players.

“If I had the answer, I think we would have won.”

It was simply a tough night for the Warriors, against a team without their best player. Role players and other rookies always seem to thrive in the NBA when their team’s superstar is out, and that was the case for Rollins and the Bucks on Thursday night.

Combine Milwaukee’s strong offense with Golden State’s poor rotations and slower defensive instincts, and it results in a Bucks win.

Stephen Curry also weighed in on the loss, arguing that Giannis’ absence didn’t affect the Warriors’ overall focus, but it did change their defensive schemes and adjustments.

While this was not the result the Warriors were hoping for, they will have a great opportunity to bounce back and get their second win of the season on Saturday night against the Indiana Pacers, who have yet to win a game this season.