The Warriors will be far from at full strength Tuesday when they meet the Pacers for the first of two meetings this season. The Pacers will face the defending NBA champions twice over their final eight games.
All-Stars Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson are all out with injuries, and Draymond Green is doubtful. There’s no need to rush guys back, either, because the Warriors (54-19) are essentially locked into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference behind the Houston Rockets (60-14).
Last season, Thompson torched the Pacers for 60 points in 29 minutes at Oracle Arena.
As for the Pacers Pacers (43-31), center Domantas Sabonis, who tweaked his left ankle on Sunday during pre-game shooting, is listed as doubtful.
With key Golden State Warriors players missing time, Indiana is favored by 7.5 points.
It’ll be a late one for those of us in an Eastern Time zone. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 pm.
When the schedule was released last August, it was very likely that the Pacers wouldn’t see this group in its entirety. Either A) they had clinched a playoff spot and decided to rest guys before the postseason, or B) players would miss time as they nursed injuries before trying to defend their title.
The Pacers host the Warriors on Thursday, April 5th. There’s a slight chance that Durant would be back and play in that game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Warriors’ full injury report:
Quinn Cook (left knee contusion) is probable
Draymond Green (throat infection) is doubtful
Chris Boucher (sprained left ankle) is doubtful
Omri Casspi (sprained right ankle) is out
Stephen Curry (left MCL sprain) is out
Kevin Durant (right rib soreness) is out
Klay Thompson (fractured right thumb) is out