For the Golden State Warriors, the start to this season has not been what they hoped for. After a 6-5 start amid injury troubles, the team dropped tonight’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 126-102, on the first night of back-to-back. Tomorrow, with the team set to face the San Antonio Spurs, a question mark has hovered over their emotional leader, Draymond Green.

In the post-game conference, Green was asked about whether he was expected to play tomorrow, and he replied, “We’ll see. I feel good… but there’s always a plan in place, so you try to figure it out as you go. But I feel pretty good.” His tone was calm for someone who had played through a rib contusion earlier this season.

His comments seemed to disagree with those made by head coach Steve Kerr, who had said that Draymond was “banged up,” and that “there’s a chance” that Green would miss tomorrow night’s matchup against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. The coach also added that he plans to separate Green and Horford so that one of them is always available, especially with them set to face the Spurs twice in a row for their next two games. Green and Horford are both capable defenders despite their age, and having one of them to try to contain Wembanyama, who has his own reinforcements in the form of De’Aaron Fox, who recently returned from injury.

For the Warriors, this has been the story so far this season. What was once pushing through has turned into pacing themselves, especially with their aging core of veterans. So far, Draymond has played the most games out of their oldest four, missing just one game out of 12, but excessive wear is going to be hard on his body due to his age, and for a team looking to compete for a championship, Green needs to be preserved so he can perform at his best come March.

However, Green’s presence is more than just his production. So far, Draymond is averaging 8.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists while anchoring the team’s defense, but his most important qualities still are his vocal nature and on-court leadership, something that Golden State can hope to mitigate with Jimmy Butler’s presence.

Now, as the team prepares for San Antonio, the question remains: will they dig themselves out of the injury-fueled hole, or is this the beginning of the end for Golden State’s core

Oklahoma City Thunder Thunder Dominate Golden State Warriors Amid Draymond Green Injury Talks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder were in full command of tonight’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors, with the reining MVP scoring 28 points and dishing out 11 dimes, with Chet Holmgren hitting all of his shots and pulling down 11 rebounds. OKC jumped ahead early and never looked back, shooting 52.4% from the floor for a 19-point halftime lead. With this win, they now improve to 11-1, with a perfect 5-0 record at home, making it clear that they’re still locked in with their championship core.

The game turned in the first quarter when Isaiah Joe was contested by Stephen Curry, falling hard and leading to the superstar being called for the first flagrant of his career. The Thunder started the second with a 10-3 run, with Holmgren and Alex Caruso connecting on multiple fast-break possessions. Even without key perimeter defender Lu Dort and star Jalen Williams, the Thunder’s depth helped take them over the top, with Joe adding 18 points off the bench and recently-extended Ajay Mitchell chipping in 12. The third-quarter explosion sealed the game, with the Thunder scoring 44 total points, benches emptying in the fourth.

Golden State struggled to find rhythm throughout the game. Curry returned to the team after missing their last three games due to an illness but was contained to just 11 points on 4-13 shooting, making just one of his five three-pointers from beyond the arc. Jonathan Kuminga led the team with 13 points, but the Warriors fell behind OKC’s relentless energy. This marks their fifth loss in the last seven games, something they hope to correct course during the team’s six-game road trip.