Amid a long stretch of misery, the Warriors had a glimpse of glory. The team defeated the thriving Minnesota Timberwolves with a close 115-116 finish. Especially the fans witnessed Stephen Curry do his usual business, nailing a clutch three-pointer from the corner. Now that the Dubs have high momentum, they return home to take on the Washington Wizards. It was eight games ago when the Wizards collected their last win which was also their 6th win of the season.
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So, the Warriors have the opportunity to build on their momentum and sneak in another win before they face the defending champions on Monday. Moreover, the Dubs can’t take any team lightly, considering the underwhelming form they have carried in the last month. Above all, the Wizards also have managed to surprise a few teams with their offensive flurry at times.
Apart from these implications, the Warriors need to focus on something even more important. It’s the injury woes. Over the last few games, the team played without some of their core members. Even Stephen Curry was on and off the injury report, dealing with knee and foot injury management. Nevertheless, for tonight’s match-up, the superstar is cleared to play.
On the other hand, the team still has a few players on the report. Draymond Green hasn’t played the last three games and the team ruled him out for tonight, citing illness. Other than DrayMagic, here are the following injured players:
- Jonathan Kuminga (Ankle) – Out
- Brandin Podziemski (Abdomen) -Out
- Kyle Anderson (Hamstring) – Out
On the other hand, the Wizards have a pretty healthy roster. Nevertheless, the team will miss three of its reserves for tonight:
- Marvin Bagley III (Knee) – Out
- Malcolm Brogdon (Foot) – Out
- Saddiq Bey (Knee) – Out
Stephen Curry & Co. vs the Wizards: Starting Lineup and Depth Chart
With Draymond Green, Kyle Anderson, and Jonathan Kuminga out with injuries, the team has no one to back up in the power forward region. Gui Santos, who has taken up the responsibility on that spot, has put up a decent performance, averaging 7.2 ppg in the last four games. However, the lack of support in the frontcourt leaves Santos with foul trouble. So, Steve Kerr has to chart a plan to help Santos with some support to back him. Maybe Trayce Jackson-Davis could join him in the forward position while Looney taking care of the big man duties.
The Golden State Warriors
| STARTING LINEUP | SECOND UNIT | THIRD UNIT | |
| PG | Stephen Curry | Moses Moody | Pat Spencer |
| SG | Dennis Schroder | Buddy Hield | – |
| SF | Andrew Wiggins | Gary Payton II | – |
| PF | Gui Santos | – | – |
| C | Trayce Jackson-Davis | Kevon Looney | Quentin Post |
The Washington Wizards
| STARTING LINEUP | SECOND UNIT | THIRD UNIT | |
| PG | Jordan Poole | Jared Butler | Johnny Davis |
| SG | Carlton Carrington | Corey Kispert | – |
| SF | Bilal Coulibaly | Kyshawn George | Justin Champagnie |
| PF | Kyle Kuzma | Patrick Baldwin Jr. | |
| C | Alex Sarr | Jonas Valanciunas | Anthony Gill |
Alex Sarr has shown significant improvement in his rookie season, averaging 11.8 ppg and shooting at 40.2 % from the field. Moreover, Jordan Poole, who is amidst a career-high season, can act as the catalyst to steal the rare win against the vulnerable Dubs. Who do you think will win tonight? Let us know in the comments.