SAN FRANCISCO >> Draymond Green couldn’t help but chuckle considering the situation he was thrust into Monday night in his first game in nearly a month.

“Very interesting game to come back on,” Green mused, “having to guard Paolo Banchero.”

In a fitting return from a left calf strain that sidelined him for 11 games in the Warriors’ 104-99 win, Green drew one of the toughest assignments in the league in the form of the Magic’s twin towers: Banchero, the former No. 1 overall pick, and Franz Wagner, his fellow 6-foot-10 counterpart.

On Monday, they took a backseat to point guard Cole Anthony, who led the Magic with 26 points while both halves of their fearsome frontcourt were held below their scoring averages.

In 29 minutes, Green grabbed seven rebounds, assisted on five field goals and converted a pair himself.

The Warriors missed Green, going 5-6 during his absence while their defense fell from the top 10 in the league to the bottom third. When he suffered the injury in the Jan. 9 win at Detroit, neither he nor the team was immediately sure how long the absence would be.

Speaking to reporters in the locker room after returning to the court Monday, Green revealed that he tore a muscle in his calf. Green said he spent seven hours a day at the Warriors’ facilities going through the rehab steps prepared by Dr. Rick Celebrini.

“It’s good to rehab and get stronger,” he said. “But I’m happy to be back playing because the rehab process here is pretty hard. They crush you. Like seven-hour days. Everyone else coming in for two hours. So I’m happy to be back playing.”