SAGINAW, MI

— Magic Johnson lives in Los Angeles but made the trip Tuesday to Saginaw for the Magic of a Promise scholarship fundraiser at The Dow Event Center.

Meanwhile, former Saginaw High star Draymond Green was in in Los Angeles, playing for the Golden State Warriors against the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of their NBA playoff series. The Clippers took a 3-2 lead in the series with a 113-103 win.

That did not diminish Green in the eyes of Johnson, who called him a "mini-Magic" and one of the smartest players in the NBA.

"Saginaw has one of my favorite basketball players in the world," Johnson said. "The reason why is that he plays with his head. He is so smart when it comes to the game of basketball. When you watch him, he makes all the right decisions, all the right plays."

Green scored 10 points, making 3 of 8 from the floor and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line.

"He's almost like a mini-Magic," Johnson said. "You can't judge Draymond by how many points he scores."

Johnson called Green the best defender, second-best passer, the second or third-best ballhandler and the second-best rebounder on the Golden State team.

Green, a 6-foot-7 forward out of Michigan State, led the Warriors with 11 rebounds, including five offensive rebounds, in Tuesday's loss.

"This dude, man, he's representing himself, Saginaw, Michigan State so well," Johnson said. "I think in another year, he's going to win Sixth Man of the Year.

"What separates Draymond is that he's one of the smartest players right now in the NBA. Even though he's a sixth man, he might be one of the top 15, 20 smartest players in this basketball league."

Game 6 of the Golden State-Los Angeles series is 10:30 p.m. Thursday.