Last time these two teams met, the Boston Celtics were without All-Star swingman Gordon Hayward, and the Golden State Warriors lost starting point guard D’Angelo Russell to injury before the game was over.
While the odds are still in Boston’s favor with so many key players on the Warriors still out injured, we caught up with Tommy Call III, editor-in-chief of our sister site, Warriors Wire, to get the lowdown on what’s gone on in the Bay area since the Celtics last crossed paths with the Dubs.
So, what’s changed since Golden State and Boston last met?
When the Celtics traveled to the new Chase Center in San Francisco early in the season, Willie Cauley-Stein was still the starting center for Golden State. Now with the Kentucky product in Dallas, the frontcourt keys have been given to Marquese Chriss and Omari Spellman. Each young big has thrived with the opportunity presented by Steve Kerr. Kerr has opted to start both at different times throughout January, with Chriss getting the call for the past two games.
While each brings a dose of energy to the Warriors frontcourt, both serve a different role on the floor from the same position. Chriss, an athletic lob threat, can be compelling inside with either D’Angelo Russell or Draymond Green initiating the offense. When Spellman is on the court, he can stretch the floor, shooting 47.8 % from beyond the arc in January, averaging 3.5 attempts per game in the month.
Encouraging play from both 22-year-old big-men has turned the rest of the 2019-20 season into an audition tape for each to fill an extended role next season when Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson return to the fold.
What it will take for each team to win?
Although the Golden State Warriors record sits at the bottom of the Western Conference, they’re a different team when Draymond Green is engaged. Without Curry and Thompson, plus an almost entirely new cast in Kerr’s rotation, Green has struggled with consistency. However, when Green can channel his former All-Star self, the Warriors’ lack of talent isn’t as apparent as their record might show.
In Golden State victories, Green is averaging 11.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. Green’s netted a triple-double or close to one in four of the Warriors’ eight wins this season. Even in narrow defeat, Green has been a factor whether it’s hitting multiple 3-pointers, or being the primary ball-handler in Kerr’s offense.
Last game against the 76ers, Golden State, battled the more talented Philadelphia squad for three tight quarters, yet couldn’t close out the game in the final period — a big reason the game was close was due to Green’s 12 assists, nine points and nine rebounds.
Although the stats may not show it in the 2019-20 season, Green still has the ability to elevate Golden State’s surrounding talent to a new level when he’s engaged.
Is there anything else we should know about the matchup, or the Warriors more generally?
Since coming to Golden State, former Eastern Conference All-Star, D’Angelo Russell has been as advertised. Yet, in the Celtics previous matchup with the Warriors, the 23-year-old left the game with a thumb injury.
In his last 10-games, Russell is averaging 27.6 points and 6.8 assists per game with Golden State. The Louisville, Kentucky native is the key to Kerr’s offense, shooting 44.7 % from the field and 44.6 % from beyond the arc over his the last 10-games. Russell’s had three 30-point or more efforts in that span and only dipping under 26 points twice.
Russell is apart of a rare scoring breed in the NBA, when he’s on, he can take over an entire game regardless of the type of opponent in Golden State’s way.
#NEBHInjuryReport for tomorrow vs Golden State:
Enes Kanter (right hip contusion) – OUT
Jayson Tatum (right groin strain) – QUESTIONABLE
Robert Williams (left hip bone edema) – OUT— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 29, 2020
The Warriors will continue to be without All-NBA point guard Steph Curry (wrist) and All-Star wing Klay Thompson (Achilles), but there’s a slim chance they could get a boost to their frontcourt rotation as center Kevon Looney is nearing return from a long absence due to abdominal injury.
Boston will be without centers Enes Kanter (knee) and Robert Williams III (hip), and could be without forward Jayson Tatum (groin). As bad as that may sound, it’s the healthiest the Celtics have been in some time, so it shouldn’t surprise if Tatum sits out a game.
Even with the thin frontcourt, the Celtics are still heavily favored against the league-worst Warriors, reflected in an average spread of -12 for Boston.
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