Tag: Golden State Warriors

The Warriors lead NBA in games missed with injury by a staggering clip

Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry were just the start of the Warriors injury concerns. After 13 games, the Warriors lead the NBA with games missed due to injuries and the next team isn’t even close.

When Klay Thompson left Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals with a knee injury, the Golden State Warriors immediately had to start thinking of ways to replace their three-time All-Star for 2020. Then the offseason came and Kevin Durant departed for the Brooklyn Nets, leaving Golden State in uncharted territory. Replacing two All-Stars is hard enough, but that was just the tip of the iceberg for the Warriors’ 2019-20 season.

The Dubs started the season thin, then two-time MVP Stephen Curry suffered a broken hand after only four games, followed by a tirade of injuries through the rest of the team. Core players like Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell have missed time, with role players like Jacob Evans and Alec Burks also out. The injury bug has torn through the Warriors roster from top to bottom.

  • Klay Thompson: 13 (ACL)
  • Alen Smailigic: 13 (Ankle)
  • Kevon Looney: 12 (Hamstring & Neuropathic)
  • Jacob Evans: 10 (Groin)
  • Stephen Curry: 9 (Hand)
  • Draymond Green: 5 (Finger)
  • D’Angelo Russell: 3 (Ankle & Thumb)
  • Alec Burks: 3 (Ankle)
  • Willie Cauley-Stein: 3 (Foot)
  • Damion Lee 2: (Hand)
  • Omari Spellman: 1 (Ankle)

Count that 74-total games missed with injuries according to Sportrac.com, with the next closest team being the Indiana Pacers at 46.

Glenn Robinson III, Jordan Poole, and Ky Bowman are the only players with Golden State to suit up for every game this season. Marquese Chriss and Eric Paschall have each missed a game due to coach’s decision, but have played in 12 of the team’s 13 other games. This number will continue to grow as players like Curry, Thompson, Russell, and Lee aren’t expected back soon.

The good news is they might have reinforcements on the way. The team announced Looney, Evans, and Smailigic will get reevaluated by team doctors on Wednesday. There should be new timetables set for their return post evaluation and the news can’t come sooner for the depleted Dubs.

The Warriors will kick off the first of a four-game road trip versus the similarly injury-laden New Orleans Pelicans. The Pels are one of the Dub’s two wins on the season, but each team will carry thin rotations this time around.

How Steve Kerr will craft a lineup with only nine healthy will be his newest challenge in a year full of tests for the championship coach.

3 things to watch in the Warriors’ game against the Pelicans

The Golden State Warriors are 2-11 through their first 13 games of the 2019-20 NBA season.

The Golden State Warriors are in the midst of a temporary rebuild this season and have two wins through 13 games.

Despite injuries to Steph Curry, D’Angelo Russell and Draymond Green affecting their rocky start, the Warriors have made strides.

The Warriors lost 105-100 against the Boston Celtics on Friday night, allowing their second-fewest number of points. The fewest points they’ve allowed was 93 in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 2.

As the Warriors continue to grow, they’ll play the New Orleans Pelicans on the road Sunday. The Pelicans are one of two teams Golden State has defeated this season, with the other being the Portland Trail Blazers.

Will the Warriors continue good defense in New Orleans?

After the Warriors’ loss to the Celtics, coach Steve Kerr praised his team’s quality defensive performance.

The Warriors allowed their lowest field goal percentage of the season, as the Celtics shot 40.7% from the field.

“We played our best defensive game of the year…It was the first night, all year, I thought we looked like we knew what were doing defensively,” Kerr said, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. 

This season, the Warriors rank 29th in opponent field goal percentage and last in opponent 3-point field goal percentage.

When they defeated the Pelicans on Oct. 28, the Pelicans shot 46.6% from the field and 31.9% from the 3-point line.

Rebounding Growth

The Warriors grabbed 55 rebounds against the Celtics, tying their second-highest number of rebounds for the season.

This season Golden State ranks 20th in rebounds per game (44.4), a decrease from last season when they ranked 11th. Willie Cauley-Stein is Golden State’s top rebounder this season, averaging 6.3 rebounds a game.

The Pelicans rank 12th in rebounds per game, with Derrick Favors and Brandon Ingram being the team’s top two rebounders. Along with Favors and Ingram, Jrue Holiday, Kenrich Williams and Josh Hart each average at least five rebounds a game.

Alec Burks’ quality play off the bench

In nine games coming off the bench, Alec Burks has been the Warriors’ best reserve.

Burks has averaged 13.2 points a game off the bench this season, ranking 18th among bench players in the league, according to NBA.com. 

On Friday night against the Celtics, Burks had a team-high 20 points on 4-of-11 shooting. He also had three rebounds and an assist. With Burks starting the season well, it’ll be important for him to consistently bring a spark off the bench.

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A Warriors 2020 NBA championship could win one bettor $1 million

No matter how ugly things get, one gambler still thinks the Dubs have a chance to take down the 2020 NBA championship.

Saying the Warriors season isn’t going as planned is an understatement, as they currently sit with the league’s worst record at 2-10. They’re on their worst losing streak since 2013 and many fans are already looking forward to next season.

No matter how ugly things get, one gambler still thinks the Dubs have a chance to take down the 2020 NBA championship.

Darren Rovell of The Action Network tweeted that a bettor put $1,000 on the Warriors to win the NBA title at odds of 1,000 to 1. As a result, a Warriors title run would net this gambler a cool million big ones, for those counting at home.

This bet could maybe be taken seriously if it was made over the offseason when Golden State came in at +1000 on the betMGM board, as 10-1 was good enough for the sixth-best odds in the NBA at the time. The Warriors odds then fell off a cliff after Stephen Curry’s hand injury sidelined him for a significant chunk of the season.

For the Warriors to start the year off with the sixth-best odds was a change of pace, they’ve usually been a massive favorite since winning their first title of the Curry and Kerr era in 2015. Just last season the Warriors opened up as an overwhelming favorite at +120, meaning that their winning the title would have actually paid less than even money (a $120 bet would have yielded winnings of just $100 in that instance).

It’s going to take a miracle for Golden State to enter themselves back into championship consideration, but if they can rally behind D’Angelo Russell, Draymond Green and Eric Paschall, one confident bettor will make a lot of money.

Warriors on pace for worst drop in winning percentage in NBA history

After their first twelve games of the 2019-20 season, the once-mighty Golden State Warriors currently have the worst record in the league.

After their first 12 games of the 2019-20 season, the once-mighty Golden State Warriors currently have the worst record in the league.

Their roster has been absolutely decimated, mostly due to injuries to their two franchise cornerstones Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. But their wild offseason also included the departures of two former NBA Finals MVP in both Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala. Golden State hardly resembles the team that won the Western Conference five years in a row.

While the offense has struggled without these players, it has been especially bad on the other end of the court. Their defensive rating (117.2) ranks as the worst in the league. Overall, their winning percentage (.167) is a far cry from their mark in 2018-19 (.695).

According to our research, that would be the largest year-over-year negative difference in NBA history. This pace would be worse than the Cleveland Cavaliers after they first lost LeBron James in 2010-11 and the Chicago Bulls after Michael Jordan retired for the second time.

The good news is their eerie similarities thus far to the San Antonio Spurs in 1996-97. Much like the Warriors who added an All-Star (D’Angelo Russell) in the offseason and have started 2-10, the Spurs signed a former All-Star in Dominique Wilkins before the season began and started 2-13. San Antonio received just six games from David Robinson due to an injury while Golden State lost Curry after only four appearances.

The Spurs finished the season 20-62 and ended up with a lottery pick that was used to draft Tim Duncan. Once he returned from injury and played alongside Duncan, they went on to win two titles together following their rough speed bump in 1997. If Golden State gets a high lottery pick to add alongside Curry and Thompson, perhaps a similar fate is coming to the Bay Area.

For context: This is not the first time that the Warriors have experienced an incredibly poor change in their year-over-year performance. They made the NBA Finals in 1964 behind 36.9 points per game from Wilt Chamberlain, who was traded the following season. Later the year, the team then finished with the worst record in the league.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

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Celtics-Warriors odds: Boston eyes 10-game win streak

Previewing Friday’s Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors sports betting odds, with NBA matchup analysis and picks

The first-place Boston Celtics (9-1) visit the last-place Golden State Warriors (2-10), Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Chase Center. We analyze the Celtics-Warriors odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

The Celtics have won nine in a row since losing the season opener. PG Kemba Walker led the team in scoring in the last two wins, most recently dropping 25 points in a 140-133 home win over the Washington Wizards Wednesday.

The Warriors are on a five-game skid after suffering a 120-94 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday in which they scored only 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Celtics at Warriors: Key injuries

Celtics: SF Gordon Hayward (broken hand) is out, while PF Daniel Theis (finger) and C Robert Williams III (ankle) are game-time decisions.

Warriors: PG Stephen Curry (hand fracture), SG Damion Lee (hand fracture), SG Jacob Evans (groin), PF Kevon Looney (neuropathy), PF Alen Smailagic (ankle) and SG Klay Thompson (knee) are out.

Celtics at Warriors: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 8 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Celtics 119, Warriors 111

Moneyline (ML)

Boston (-358) will likely win, but the price is high – one has to wager $3.58 to profit $1 with a Celtics win.

The Celtics are 4-1 on the road; the Warriors are 1-5 at home.

With a scorer like PG D’Angelo Russell, the Warriors (+275) could pull an upset. Unlikely, but not impossible. Russell has averaged 34 points over the last four games, including a 52-point performance in an overtime loss at the Minnesota Timberwolves Nov. 8.

A big night from Russell, an off-night for the visiting Celtics and the Warriors could win bettors 2.75 to 1, but I’m going PASS.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Boston is favored at -7.5 (-106). Golden State is +7.5 (-115).

New to sports betting? Bet $10.60 to profit $10 that the Celtics win by eight or more points. Or bet $11.50 to profit $10 that the Warriors keep it within seven points in a loss or win outright.

Boston is 6-2-2 ATS, while Golden State is 4-8.

The line of 7.5 is just about right, so another PASS.

Over/under (O/U)

A slight lean to the OVER 226.5 (-106) – every $1.06 wagered profits $1 if the teams combine for 227 or more points. Boston is 5-5 O/U on the season and has played to three Overs in a row. Golden State is 8-4 O/U on the season, including going Over in five of its past six games.

The STRONGEST PLAY, however, is the 1st-half OVER 109.5 (-115). The Celtics have averaged 64.7 first-half points in their last three games, while the Warriors have allowed 65.3 first-half points in their last three games.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Johnny’s NBA plays: 5-1. NBA’s strongest plays: 3-0.

Follow @JohnnyParlay11 and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Steve Kerr on LeBron James: ‘Probably the best athlete to ever walk this planet’

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that LeBron James is “probably the best athlete to ever walk this planet.”

Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, had high praise for LeBron James in the wake of losing to the Los Angeles Lakers 120-94 earlier this week. Kerr–who spent 15 years as a player in the NBA while winning multiple championships alongside Michael Jordan–said that LeBron is “probably the best athlete to ever walk this planet.”

It’s one thing to call someone the best athlete to ever play in the NBA since it first opened for business in 1946. It’s a whole different measure of praise to suggest that LeBron is the greatest athlete in the history of the human race. But that’s exactly where Kerr went with his compliments of James and you can count Richard Jefferson as someone who agrees.

While appearing on Jalen and Jacoby, the longtime NBA veteran offered his rationale for supporting Kerr’s claim.

“Well this is what I’m going to say–yes,” Richard Jefferson said when asked if he agreed with Steve Kerr on LeBron being the best athlete to ever live. “From this standpoint. I think basketball players are the best athletes on the planet. Start there.

“And I think, look, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, best basketball players, but as an athlete, LeBron is physically stronger than all of those guys. So I think Steve Kerr has a little bit of validation. Mind you, this guy also played with Michael Jordan.”

Beyond Michael and Kobe, there is most likely a contingent of older NBA fans who might also suggest that Wilt Chamberlain was the greatest athlete to ever live. But it’s certainly fair at this point to say that LeBron has earned a place in that conversation. During his 17th NBA season, James is currently leading the league in assists with 11.1 while also offering 23.9 points and eight rebounds and showing no signs of slowing down.

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The ugliest moments in sports history

Myles Garrett of the Browns hit the Steelers Mason Rudolph in the head with a helmet in an awful scene Thursday.

The rivalry between the Pittsburgh and Cleveland turned beyond ugly and brutal in the fourth quarter Thursday when Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett swung and hit Mason Rudolph in the head with the quarterback’s helmet in the final seconds.

AP Photo/David Richard

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was forceful in his comments about the melee with Erin Andrews after the game.

This joins some of the ugliest moments in the history of sports.

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LeBron James says it’s not that weird playing an injured Warriors team

The Los Angeles Lakers star also eluded to his 2015 NBA Finals when he played the Warriors without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.

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LeBron James doesn’t think it’s all that weird to play a Golden State Warriors team without both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but he did acknowledge when he’s watching them on TV the absence of the Splash Brothers is a lot more jarring.

After last night’s comfortable 120-94 win over the Warriors on Wednesday night, James was asked about the state of the Warriors as they fell to a league-worst 2-10 record. LeBron obviously knows what they’re going through, but he wouldn’t use the word “weird” to describe the feeling of playing against a deleted Warriors squad, because he’s been used to playing them with a depleted unit before in the 2015 NBA Finals without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.

Video from Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group

Irving played only one game in the 2015 Finals before suffering a broken kneecap in the first game of the series. Obviously James is still a little salty about that Finals run and who could blame him, as he pushed the Warriors to six games with Matthew Dellavadov and Timofey Mozgov as his 2nd and 3rd options.

James had an incredible stat line in a losing effort in the 2015 Finals, averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebonds and 8.8 assists per game.

JaVale McGee collects more rebounds than Warriors’ starters in Lakers 120-94 win

Los Angeles Lakers center JaVale McGee collects more rebounds than Warriors starting five during Lakers 120-94 win.

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With Anthony Davis sidelined for Wednesday night’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors, JaVale McGee stepped up big for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers center dominated the glass throughout the evening by collecting 17 rebounds against his former team. That total was four more rebounds than Golden State’s starting five, combined.

The Lakers finished with a 120-94 victory.

To go along with a season-high 17 boards, McGee also scored a season-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shots in support of 23 points and 12 assists from LeBron James. McGee grabbed 12 defensive rebounds, five of them on the offensive end, and also blocked three shots. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard came off the bench to deliver a 15-point, eight-rebound performance in relief of McGee, who has started every game at the center spot this season

Following the win, the former Warrior talked about the impact a traditional center like he and Dwight can still have on today’s game, telling reporters after the game:

I feel like because of Golden State, the whole league has gone away from the standard big man. So me and Dwight are definitely working hard to bring it back. Just letting people know that it’s necessary for a big man in the game. And where better to do it than where the best big men played.

If I’m having a bad game, then he’s picking me up. If he’s having a bad game, then I’m picking him up. If we’re both having a good game, we’re winning the game. … Like Golden State, who had the opportunity to make teams go small, I feel like we have the opportunity to make people go big.

 

If McGee continues to have dominant performances like he did on Wednesday, the Lakers will most certainly make teams consider going big to match up against them as the season moves on. This will especially be the case when Davis is healthy and back in the lineup, and if they’re also getting the type of production they did from Howard during the win over Golden State.

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