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The Golden State Warriors got some brutal injury news ahead of their January 20 matchup aganst the Cleveland Cavaliers. Prior to the game, the Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported that the Warriors would be without four of their five starters.
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins were all listed on the team’s injury report. Thompson was listed out due to injury management. The sharpshooter hasn’t played in back-to-backs at all this season or last.
Curry was listed out with tightness in his left hip, Green was reported to have soreness in his right big-toe, and Wiggins was said to be dealing with left foot soreness.
None of the injuries to the starters appear to be serious, but it’s brutal news nonetheless. The Warriors will be very shorthanded against a good Cavs team, as James Weismann, Andre Iguodala, Jonathon Kuminga, and JaMychal Green are sidelined as well. The matchup certainly isn’t shaping up to be a very good opportunity for Golden State to improve their terrible road record of 5-18.
Steve Kerr Blasts Warriors Late-Game Defense After Loss to Celtics
As they head into their matchup with Cleveland, the Warriors will be looking to bounce back after a tough loss to the league-best Boston Celtics. Golden State came up short in overtime, losing the Finals rematch 121-118.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Warriors held a 89-82 lead over the Celtics. They were even up three points with under 30 seconds to play. That was until Boston’s Jaylen Brown knocked down his first 3-pointer of the night to tie the game at 106. Golden State wasn’t able to break the tie and then came up short in overtime.
Head Coach Steve Kerr wasn’t happy with his team’s defensive lapse. After the game, he spoke with the media about the sequence.
“What you can’t do is give up an open three. So the whole idea is switch everything and run them off the line and don’t let them line up a three,” Kerr said. “So we had a defensive breakdown that led to the opening.”
Warriors Have Inquired About Celtics’ Payton Pritchard: Report
With the Warriors below .500 so late into the season, there has been plenty of speculation about the front office potentially swinging some sort of trade to improve the roster. One player the Golden State has been linked too is Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, who watched from the bench as his team took down the defending champs. This season he has seen his role reduced significantly, after Boston landed Malcolm Brodgon over the summer.
On January 18, MassLive’s Brian Robb reported that the Warriors had “shown interest” in the 24-year-old.
“Payton Pritchard’s lack of consistent playing time in the Celtics rotation has unsurprisingly led to a number of playoff teams inquiring about the availability of the reserve guard including the defending champion Golden State Warriors, league sources tell MassLive,” Robb explained. “Despite these overtures, the Celtics have shown no interest in trading the 25-year-old guard to this point, according to multiple sources, with Pritchard re-entering Boston’s rotation during the past week following Jaylen Brown’s injury.”
The former Oregon Duck could be a great fit with Golden State. He’s certainly proven to be an NBA player when he’s gotten run with the Celtics. Unfortunately for him, that just isn’t happening with the team’s strong guard rotation. Throughout his three-year-career he’s averaged 6.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game, while 43.1% shooting from the field and 40.1% shooting from behind the 3-point line.
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