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Will Steph Curry Play Tonight? Golden State Warriors vs Washington Wizards: Prediction, Injury Updates & Lineups

Published 04/09/2021, 1:00 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Every team has played 50 games in the ongoing 2020-21 NBA regular season. However, it is surprising to know that a few teams haven’t met each other yet. In that regard, the Golden State Warriors will face off against Washington Wizards for the first time this season.

Venue: Chase Center

Time: 10:00 PM ET (April 9, 2021) 

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The Wizards are 13th in the East while the Warriors are 10th in the West. Both teams are on a similar run of form at the moment, as Washington is 1-4 in its last five games while Golden State is 2-3. But who is the favorite going into Friday’s fixture at the Bay? 

Golden State Warriors vs Washington Wizards: Injury Updates and Lineups

Warriors 

The Golden State Warriors are a solid unit, but they’re only good when Steph Curry is on the floor. They were touted to break away from the ‘one-man team’ chain at the beginning of the season, but that hasn’t happened so far. 

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The Warriors boast a 24-27 record in which they’re 15-9 in home games, so the team does have the advantage going into the Wizards fixture. 

USA Today via Reuters

As for injuries, the Warriors have only listed Gary Payton II on the probable list ahead of the Wizards game. Besides him, Eric Paschall and Klay Thompson will be the absentees on the court. 

Possible Lineup

Stephen Curry (G)

Andrew Wiggins (G) 

Kelly Oubre Jr. (F) 

Draymond Green (F) 

James Wiseman (C) 

Wizards

The Washington Wizards have been struggling all season long. While victories have been coming, the flavor of inconsistency has been bothering the Wizards and the All-Star pairing of Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal. 

Beal has been an elite scorer, while Westbrook has been instrumental in his leadership and all-around contribution. But the roster’s size is a cause for concern, as the Wizards have a miserable 5-22 record whenever their opponents have out-rebounded them. 

Furthermore, the Wizards are massively shorthanded for the Warriors game, as Bradley Beal is listed as probable. While Beal is just likely to miss, the Wizards will not have injured players Thomas Bryant and Daniel Gafford take the floor on Friday. 

Possible Lineup

Russell Westbrook (G) 

Bradley Beal (G) 

Deni Avdija (F) 

Rui Hachimura (F) 

Alex Len (C) 

Prediction

One can take this as an evenly matched contest. Both the Washington Wizards and the Golden State Warriors are not in playoff spots at the moment. Likewise, the teams have only won three of their last ten games, which implies they both desperately need to win upcoming games. 

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The Wizards are one of the worst defensive units in the league, and they currently allow the most points in a game. However, the team can be deadly if Westbrook finds his form with Beal on the backcourt. 

USA Today via Reuters

On the other hand, the Warriors are a strong unit, but Curry is handling all the burden. The team would be having a better record if the supporting cast had stepped up with consistency. 

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As for this game, we’re predicting that the Golden State Warriors will win against the Washington Wizards due to Steph Curry’s incredible run of form since returning from injury!

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Written by:

Arjun Athreya

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Arjun Athreya is a senior writer at Essentially Sports and has been contributing since early 2020. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, he pursued a Journalism degree and graduated from Madras Christian College. Arjun manages the Golf division and its content, and primarily covers news pertaining to the NBA as well.
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