Getty Golden State Warriors teammates Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and DeMarcus Cousins
The Golden State Warriors will look to extend their current winning streak to 10 games when they face the Boston Celtics on Saturday. Buoyed by the debut of DeMarcus Cousins, the Warriors have secured double-digit victories in two out of their last three contests. Over the past nine games, Head Coach Steve Kerr’s squad is averaging an eye-popping 130.1 points per game while shooting 52.1 percent from the field as a team.
After a somewhat slow start to the season, the Celtics are also enjoying an extended winning streak of their own. Golden State’s visit to Boston will be a solid regular season test and it could be a possible preview of the NBA Finals.
Here is what the Warriors rotation will look like against the Celtics:
*Notates expected starter
PG: Stephen Curry*, Shaun Livingston, Quinn Cook
SG: Klay Thompson*, Damion Lee
SF: Kevin Durant*, Andre Iguodala, Alfonzo McKinnie
PF: Draymond Green*, Jordan Bell, Marcus Derrickson
C: DeMarcus Cousins*, Kevon Looney
Warriors Break From the Norm, Meet President Obama
The Warriors public disinterest of meeting with President Donald Trump reached a new level earlier this week. During Golden State’s visit to Washington, the team met with former President Barack Obama. Prior to facing the Wizards, veteran forward Draymond Green posted a photo of the meeting to his Instagram account.
Along with meeting with Obama, Curry exchanged in a friendly conversation with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The San Fransico Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau shared a brief snippet of the exchange on Friday.
Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, talked with Curry after the game for several minutes before taking a selfie with the two-time MVP. “Continued luck and success making this country better,” Curry was heard telling Pelosi.
The Warriors have not met with Trump following their title victories in recent years. After outlasting the Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals, Golden State met with Obama at the White House.
Cousins’ Workload Since Returning
Cousins long-awaited return from an Achilles tear has been largely positive for himself and the Warriors. He logged 15 minutes in his debut against the Los Angeles Clippers and recorded 14 points in that brief appearance. In the two games since his debut, Cousins has surpassed the 20-minute threshold on both occasions.
Along with his scoring, it appears that Cousins’ chemistry with his teammates behind the scenes has carried over to the court. He has registered 11 assists in just three games. Unsurprisingly, Thompson has been the biggest beneficiary of Cousins’ passes. Four of Boogie’s assists have been generated by conversions from his sweet-shooting teammate.
Kevon Looney, who has started in 22 games for the Warriors, has slid into a role off the bench. Playing in his fourth season out of UCLA, Looney was averaging career-highs in both points and minutes played per game. With Golden State at full strength, Looney’s place inside Kerr’s reserve rotation will help bolster the team’s overall depth. Looney is joined by fellow youngster Quinn Cook on the second unit. Both Cook and Looney have received extended playing time due to high-profile absences in the starting lineup this season.
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