Tag: Stephen Curry

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.

Richard Jefferson picks Klay over Steph for new look Warriors

On Friday night’s edition of ESPN’s NBA Countdown 18-year pro Richard Jefferson weighed in on the Warriors.

After five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors have taken a step back, and even if it’s largely due to injury, people want to fire off their take on the former champs.

Former player turned ESPN NBA analyst Richard Jefferson has never shied away from the opinionated yet, sometimes controversial comment, and on Friday night’s edition of ESPN’s NBA Countdown, Jefferson weighed in on the new-look Warriors.

In a discussion with Jay Williams that centered around Draymond Green, Jefferson eventually revealed that he believes that it’s Thompson, not Curry, that the new look Warriors miss most.

“For him, at this point in time of his career, we’re looking at Klay Thompson here, I think that’s who they miss,” Jefferson said in reference to the 2-10 club.

“We’re talking about ‘Oh, they lost KD and Steph,’ I think, to me, if you just had to isolate one guy, I think with what Klay can do on the offensive end and the defensive end, I think they really—obviously everyone knows that they miss him—but I think they would be better if it was just Klay versus just Steph. Just because at both ends of the floor, the fact that you still have another scorer.”

The commentary begins at the 8:55 mark of the video below.

While the 18-year veteran was praising Thompson’s game, he perhaps took a subtle, passive shot at the other Splash Brother.

Jefferson and Curry have had back-and-forth banter since their time as teammates slowly turned into a rivalry. Jefferson was a member of the Cavaliers team that erased a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals against the Warriors, but before that, he was a part of the Warriors during Thompson’s rookie season.

The two jokingly talked smack about the Cavs-Warriors matchup on Snapchat at Kent Bazemore’s wedding in 2017, and on Jefferson’s podcast, he took issue with Curry’s 2016 Cleveland locker room “champagne” comment.

D’Angelo Russell has been great, but he’s no Stephen Curry. And fortunately for Golden State, they don’t have to choose between either Curry or Thompson or Curry or Russell.

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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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.

[jwplayer AdgeiI2B-z6KDnl0B]

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.

WATCH: Steph Curry expects to return to the court this spring

Steph Curry says he expects to return to the court this spring as he recovers from a broken left hand.

Steph Curry says he expects to return to the court this spring as he recovers from a broken left hand.

The Golden State Warriors star told reporters Monday night that — despite a report from a few days ago saying he could miss the entire year — he is rehabbing his hand with the expectation that he will play this season.

Curry broke his left hand Oct. 30 against the Phoenix Suns, coming down on it awkwardly on a drive to the basket. He said he has already had one surgery but will need a second procedure next month to have the pins removed, requiring more recovery time.

Stephen Curry delivered (and then some) from his 2009 ‘Promise’ tweet

With Stephen Curry at the center of it, the Warriors established a dynasty. He fulfilled his promise to the Bay Area.

Nov. 11, 2019 marked the anniversary of one of the most memorable tweets in NBA Twitter history. A 21-year-old Stephen Curry tweeted a declaration to Golden State Warriors fans that will live on forever.

Saying Curry delivered on his 2009 promise would be an understatement. We know about the championships and MVPs, but since that November day in 2009 the list of accomplishments Curry and the Warriors have checked off feels like something out of a movie:

  • 3 NBA titles (The Warriors hadn’t won an NBA championship since 1975.)
  • 5 consecutive NBA Finals appearances (The Warriors hadn’t made the playoffs since 2007.)

Curry’s personal achievements since the tweet are just as impressive:

  • Regular-season record: 461-231 (.666 win percentage)
  • Postseason record: 77-35 (.668)
  • Total points: 16,341
  • Point per game: 23.6
  • 3-pointers made: 2487
  • 3-point percentage: 43.5
  • Free-throw percentage: 90.6
  • Field-goal percentage: 47.6
  • Assists per game: 6.6
  • Rebounds per game: 4.5
  • NBA All-Star Game appearances: 6
  • All-NBA Teams: 6
  • MVPs (2015, 2016): 2 (Warriors hadn’t had an MVP since 1960.)
  • NBA scoring championship (2016): 1
  • NBA steals leader (2016): 1
  • 50-40-90 club (2016): 1

Yesterday, Curry spoke to the media and called the tweet, “Best tweet ever.”

It’s safe to say the many Warriors fans agree.

What Curry and the Warriors have been able to accomplish on paper has been nothing short of amazing, but the change of culture within Golden State Warriors basketball might be the most important thing Curry has “figured out.”

Going back to 2009 when Curry tweeted, the Warriors were a bottom dweller in the NBA. The Warriors finished the 2009 season with 26 wins. They went on to have two more losing seasons before going on one of the most dominant runs of basketball in NBA history.

The Warriors solidified themselves as a power in the league: hanging banners, building a new arena and attracting some of the league’s biggest free agents.

Ten years since the tweet, the Warriors are in a similar position they were in 2009.

Don’t expect any promises, but Curry is still in Golden State, and again, the Dubs hope to figure things out.