Taylor Bicht
2 min read • February 23, 2023
Posted in
The bottom half of the Pacific Division will square off in a primetime televised matchup with the Lakers expecting both stars to play out the All-Star beak while the Warriors go in with out key weapons. Golden State will look to break a four game losing streak against a Laker team just 2-9 in division games this season.
The Warriors will come out the break without star guard Stephen Curry who will miss his 6th straight game due to a tib/fib joint injury. News surfaced that Curry is a week away from reevaluation which is good news but means he will miss the next four Golden State matchups.
Curry is close to a return but the big issue will still be his labrum injury that will effect him until season end when he can undergo surgery to fix the shoulder. The shoulder issue cost the guard 11 games earlier in the season.
Without fellow guard Curry, Jordan Poole will be looked on to carry the offense specifically trying to replicate Curry’s 3P activity chucking 48 threes in the last 5 games Curry has missed.
Andrew Wiggins is another scoring threat missing from the lineup for the second straight game due to personal reasons. His 17.1 ppg and 39.1 3P% will be hard to replace on Thursday and combined with Andre Iguodala likely out (calf) leaves Golden State severely hampered at the SF position. Villanova alum Donte DiVincenzo has played well filling the void going over 25 minutes the last 5 while averaging 12.8 ppg.
Returnee Gary Payton II will not be part of the rotation for at least a month but likely longer due to the core muscle issues he came into the season with, costing him the first 35 games.
Both Laker stars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, will likely be listed as questionable or probable for every game left this season but expect them to suit up against the Warriors.
James has been battling Father Time all season dealing with knee and ankle issues but is now listed on the injury report with a hand injury suffered on a block attempt in the All-Star game. Our panel of Pro Basketball Docs believe the issue is minor and believe James could have played through issue if not for the circumstances.
Partner in crime Anthony Davis is listed as probable (right foot stress injury) for the primetime game but this is just a formality as he is not yet 100% from the issue that cost him 20 game earlier in season. He has however played well of late dropping 19.2 points, 14 rebounds and almost two blocks per game in his last 5 matches.
Outside the top two Lakers players the team health is exceptional with the bushel of new arrivals all sporting a clean bill of health including center Mo Bamba who returned from a four game suspension to play 16 minutes including fouling out.
Klay Thompson O24.5 Points
The veteran sharpshooter has stepped up with Curry out and will need to again against a Lakers team gearing up for a play-in tournament run. Thompson has gone over prop number 3 of the last 5 games Curry has missed including a 42 point effort against the Thunder. Poole and him will be relied on to score on Thursday but put your money on the more efficient scorer in Thompson
Written by Taylor Bicht
