What Draymond’s likely absence vs. Nuggets means for Warriors

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What Draymond’s likely absence vs. Nuggets means for Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

DENVER – The last two players to leave the court after Warriors practice on Monday at Ball Arena were the two who didn’t see the floor in the second half of Saturday night’s loss to the Suns in Phoenix.

While Moses Moody was seen having an extended talk with coach Steve Kerr after practice, Kyle Anderson’s role could be amplified Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets due to unfortunate news for the Warriors. Draymond Green did not practice Monday because of left calf tightness, and the Warriors initially considered him questionable for the next day’s game.

Trying to snap a four-game losing streak, Kerr took Green’s status a step further after practice, making it clear he doesn’t expect him to play.

“I would call it doubtful,” Kerr said. “We got to be careful. … Doubtful tomorrow, we’ll see how it holds up.”

That changes the Warriors’ identity immensely, especially when trying to contain Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokić, who essentially does it all for his team offensively. The three-time NBA MVP leads the Nuggets in points per game (29.6), rebounds per game (13.2), assists per game (10.7) and is tied for the team lead in steals per game (1.5). Jokić also is second on the team in field-goal percentage (56.2 percent) and 3-point percentage (50.8 percentage).

There’s no stopping him, just the hope of containing him, which to a certain degree Anderson has done in the past.

Nobody on the Minnesota Timberwolves guarded Jokić more last season, not even four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Anderson spent slightly over 13 minutes guarding Jokić in four regular-season games, and Joker scored 35 points on 11-of-20 shooting but did commit three turnovers with only one assist.

By comparison, Green squared off against Jokić once last season for a total of seven minutes and 13 seconds. In that span, Jokić scored 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting and had six assists without a turnover, but only made one of his four 3-point attempts. Overall, Jokić wound up with a 32-point,…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/draymonds-likely-absence-vs-nuggets-023034850.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-12-03 02:30:00

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