Kemba Walker and company can still keep it close (especially if the Warriors are less than healthy) but it should still be a Golden State win.
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By January 1, 2016, the Warriors became the face of the National Basketball Association and the greatest show in professional sports.
Guard Stephen Curry’s status is up in the air for Monday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets at Oracle Arena, but the Warriors may have good news with the long-awaited return of Harrison Barnes. Somehow, with guys such as Ian Clark hitting 7 of 8 shots and scoring 15 points and Marreese Speights making some huge plays in overtime, they held off a Nuggets team that fought back on the strength of 24 offensive rebounds that gave them 19 more shots than Golden State.
With Curry injured, the Warriors are not a playoff contender. Green recorded his sixth triple-double of the season with 29 points, 14 assists and 17 rebounds.
Kevin Durant had 29 points and 11 rebounds as Oklahoma City won its fourth straight game. Both Green and Thompson need to be at their absolute best to compensate for the lack of Steph. Add Andrew Bogut and 2 key bench players – Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston – in the mix and our injury riddled squad may have a chance tonight. He is the engine that drives the Warriors and without him, the Warriors won’t get far.
It all sounds eerily pessimistic to speak of holes in a 31-2 Warriors team. Fans are hoping that it’s a low-level injury that Curry will return from soon, because if the games he missed are any indication, the team needs him. Among his stated goals: Beat the Bulls’ record of 72 regular season victories. Green scored his 11 points while shooting 26 percent from the field.
Guard Leandro Barbosa and forward James McAdoo have been listed as out for Monday night’s game. It is a good thing the roster truly does have 10-plus player depth. But the Hornets are also playing without Nicolas Batum in addition to the usual suspects, Jefferson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. But he played just 14 minutes and scored just five points with four assists.
The team is facing a five-game losing streak and losing Faried for some time definitely will hurt their cause. The Charlotte Hornets have lost four straight road games.
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While the year construct can be somewhat odd for a sport with seasons that run from October to June, it works pretty well here to mark the remarkable transformation of this franchise. Nearing the 3-minute mark, Denver was within two points, adding to the conundrum.
