After missing out on more than a week of action, the Golden State Warriors are back. Playing their first match after the tragic passing of their assistant coach Dejan Milojević, the Dubs will be facing the Atlanta Hawks, and that too for the first time this season. Currently riding on a two-game losing streak, the Dubs is not having a great season sitting in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Not only them, but even the Warriors have been on a decline and lost 7 out of their last 10 games.
Currently, in the 12th place of the tough Western Conference, the Warriors are completely relying on their cornerstone, Stephen Curry. However, is he going to be participating in the clash against the Hawks?
Stephen Curry will start for the Warriors
Stephen Curry is going to be playing against the Hawks and the projected lineup for the match is Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Kevon Looney. Apart from Curry, all the other players in the team have been inconsistent with their performances. His Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, has been finding it difficult to find his rhythm averaging only 17.3 points, 2.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. For a player of his caliber, these numbers are minuscule.
Even Draymond Green has been a disappointment throughout the season as he did not get to play enough games. The 33-year-old center was suspended three times this season and just made his comeback against the Grizzlies on 16th January. After playing just 16 games this season, he is averaging 9.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. The only player who has been able to perform without his team’s support is Chef Curry scoring 26.7 points per game.
This is the first time the Warriors have struggled to be in the top 10 rankings in their conference. And due to incurring so many losses, the team has changed their starting lineup 4 times till now. Even then, nothing seems to work for the Warriors. However, as the Hawks’ roster is plagued with injuries, this might be an opportunity for the Dubs to gain some momentum and climb up the Conference ladder.
Trae Young to miss his 5th game
Trae Young, the Atlanta Hawks’ star player, will miss the upcoming game against the Golden State Warriors due to his placement in the NBA Concussion Protocol. Young suffered a hard charge from the Cavaliers player Isaac Okoro in the previous game, which potentially triggered a concussion test. Due to that, Young will miss his fifth game of the season, with the Hawks holding a record of 2-2 in his absence.
So, without the 25-year-old guard, the Hawks will struggle offensively as he was their point leader scoring 26.9 points per game. Due to that, the Warriors can capitalize on them and attain glory.
