With Curry and Green Resting, the Clippers Test Whether the Bench Was Real
The Clippers game, with Curry and Green resting, is the honest test this week of the depth that erased a 25-point deficit against the Lakers.
Golden State plays four home games this week, against the Clippers, Suns, Heat and Magic, and the opener comes without its two oldest stars. How the reserves handle a 1-4 Clippers team will say more about this 3-3 start than anything Curry does once he is back.
Why November 1 is the game that matters
Curry and Green are both listed out for rest against the Clippers on November 1, and both have an estimated return of November 2 against Phoenix. That makes the Clippers game the one night this week when the Warriors have to win without the shooter who made eight threes against the Lakers and without the forward who sets up the half-court offense at 7.2 assists a game. The Clippers also beat Golden State 104-101 on October 4. A loss here would undo some of what the three-game winning streak built.
A Clippers team running thin
Tyronn Lue's team arrives 1-4, has lost four straight and is playing its second straight road game. Max Strus, Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Jordan Miller and Yanic Konan Niederhauser are all listed out. What's left runs through Darius Garland at 22.0 points and 6.2 assists a game, with Keaton Wagler and Brook Lopez behind him, and a net rating of -5.9. When two short-handed teams meet, depth decides it, and depth is the one thing the Warriors showed against the Lakers.
What the comeback proved, and what it didn't
The reserves scored 48 points against Los Angeles. De'Anthony Melton made four of six threes, Georges Niang went three for three and was plus-21 in 19 minutes, and Charles Bassey was plus-14 in nine. The 18-0 run that flipped an 80-78 deficit into a 96-80 lead started late in the third quarter. Curry was still part of that game. Without him, Brandin Podziemski has to run the offense. Yaxel Lendeborg, who had five turnovers and finished minus-20, has to look more like the forward who scored 31 at Denver. Gui Santos is listed day-to-day with a left knee problem.
Then the stars return
Phoenix follows on November 2, then Miami on November 5 on NBA TV, then Orlando on November 7, all at Chase Center. Those three teams have won 25, 33 and 40 percent of their games. The Warriors sit 10th, one game behind sixth-place Dallas and one ahead of 11th. Butler is out until an estimated January 2, and Porzingis and Moody until December 1. Until then, this team's record will depend on the nights Curry sits, and the Clippers game is the first of them.
Is Stephen Curry playing against the Clippers on November 1?
No. Curry is listed out for rest against the Clippers, with an estimated return November 2 against the Suns.
Which Warriors players are out this week?
Curry and Draymond Green are out for rest against the Clippers, and Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis and Moses Moody are out all week. Gui Santos is listed day-to-day with a left knee problem.
