The Golden State Warriors are set to face the Miami Heat on Thursday night in San Francisco, but they will not have to deal with star forward Jimmy Butler. Ruled out for the fourth-straight game, Butler will not play in this one. On Golden State’s side, they will have their superstar point guard available, as Steph Curry is not listed on the injury report, meaning he will play.
This is a great opportunity for the Warriors to get back on track after falling to the Denver Nuggets on Christmas. Golden State had won five-straight games prior to that loss, so rather than allowing that game to be a setback, the Warriors have a chance to keep building off the momentum they created during their winning streak.
It has seemingly been one step forward and two steps backwards for the Warriors this season, which is what they are looking to avoid here. Developing a lot of positive trends during their winning streak, the Warriors want to keep moving those forward even after falling to Denver.
The Heat are a tough team even without Butler, having won the three games he has missed, so the Warriors will still have to approach this game with the right level of focus.
The Heat and Warriors will begin at 7:00 PM PST in Golden State on Thursday night.