Draymond Green (foot) and Al Horford (sciatica) have joined Stephen Curry (quad) as being ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bulls.
But it’s not all bad news for the Golden State Warriors (12-12) on the injury report.
Jimmy Butler (knee) and De’Anthony Melton (knee) will play, while Seth Curry (toe) is probable.
The Bulls (9-13) have an even longer list of players on the injury report.
Noa Essengue (shoulder) and Kevin Huerter (adductor) have been ruled out. Tre Jones (ankle), Isaac Okoro (lumbar) and Jalen Smith (hamstring) are doubtful. Ayo Dosumu (thumb) is questionable. Zach Collins (wrist) and Dalen Terry (calf) are probable.
Why the Warriors Should Start Spencer Again
Pat Spencer is averaging 17.3 points on 58.8 percent shooting and 5.7 assists in his last three games. That alone is reason to give him the second start of his career.
But the other reason is he’s actually been a great Butler partner.
In 118 possessions with both Butler and Spencer on the court, the Warriors have a plus-19.3 net rating, per Cleaning the Glass. That rating is spearheaded by a 131.4 offensive rating, which ranks in the 99th percentile.
The best five-man lineup with those two has been Spencer, Will Richard, Moses Moody, Butler and Quinten Post. That lineup has an outrageous plus-124.8 rating in a small sample size.
It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s Sunday’s starting lineup.
Dubs About to Get Much-Need Schedule Relief
When Sunday’s game concludes, the Warriors will have played 25 games this season. That will be tied for the most in the NBA.
They will have also played 15 road games, which will be tied for the most in the Association.
Of course, that means they’ll have more home games and rest than most of the league from here on out, and that advantage starts next week.
The Warriors have four days off before they play the Timberwolves on Friday. Overall, they will have just six games in 20 days starting on Monday.
It’s not an easy schedule opponent-wise. They play the Wolves (15-8); the Blazers (9-14), who they are 0-2 against; the Suns (13-10) twice; the Magic (14-10); before finishing with the Mavericks (9-16) on Christmas Day.
But with the Warriors finally more rested than most of their opponents for the next stretch, they have no excuse but to win consistently.
They should have Curry and Green back by Friday. With that in mind, a record of 4-2 or better in this stretch is a must.
