For the first time this season, the Boston Celtics have made their way to the West Coast. On Tuesday, they’ll tip off the first of four games in California when they pay a visit to the Golden State Warriors. It’ll mark the first meeting between the two sides since January. That was a game that the Cs managed to capture in overtime, downing the Dubs 121-118.
Heading into their matchup with Boston, Golden State will be looking to inch closer to .500 in the 2023-24 campaign. They’ve won two straight games, yet sit at 12-14 on the season, which has them slotted at 11th in the Western Conference.
The Warriors look almost nothing like the title teams of years past with Stephen Curry serving as the lone exception. The all-time leader in made three-pointers is having himself quite the season. Curry has averaged 28.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 41.1% from beyond the arc. Aside from him, Golden State doesn’t have anyone else averaging 20 points per game. Klay Thompson is the closest with an average of 16.8 on inefficient 41.8/37.4 shooting splits. Despite his rough numbers for the year as a whole, Thompson has turned it around in recent outings. In his last three appearances, he’s up to 27.3 points per game on 54/54.8 splits.
STARTERS
Jrue Holiday | Stephen Curry
Derrick White | Brandon Podziemski
Jaylen Brown | Klay Thompson
Jayson Tatum | Jonathan Kuminga
Kristaps Porzingis (?) | Kevon Looney
BENCH ROTATION
Al Horford | Chris Paul
Payton Pritchard | Andrew Wiggins
Sam Hauser | Dario Saric
Dalano Banton | Trayce Jackson-Davis
Golden State’s starting lineup will look different than it did the last time these two teams squared off. They’ll be without longtime forward Draymond Green, who is currently suspended indefinitely after leveling Phoenix Suns big man Jusuf Nurkic. Green reportedly has begun counseling after what NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations, Joe Dumars referred to as his “repeated history of unsportsmanlike conduct.”
Warriors’ four-time NBA champion Draymond Green has started counseling process and is expected to remain sidelined via suspension for at least the next three weeks, sources say.
Story at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/0bIFSZahg0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 18, 2023
In addition to Green’s absence amongst the Dubs’ starting five, Wiggins was moved to the bench last week after struggling early this season. On Sunday, he surged for 25 points as a reserve to help the Warriors top the Portland Trail Blazers.
Luke Kornet remains out for the Celtics after suffering an adductor strain last week during Thursday’s pregame warmups. There’s also a chance that Boston will be without Porzingis. The big man has been listed as questionable on the Celtics’ injury report as the team looks to manage his left calf injury. Though it’s never ideal to be without a star player, the Warriors wouldn’t be the worst team to sit Porzingis against.
With Green sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Dubs have been playing Looney as their only traditional big man. Boston could afford to give up a bit of size in favor of granting Porzingis some extra rest.
The Celtics will look to extend their win streak to six games when they take the floor at Chase Center. They’re coming off of a perfect five-game homestand after falling to the Indiana Pacers in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals. Boston has done an excellent job in responding to what was a pretty rough loss in Indiana.
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