The crumbling of the dynasty for the Golden State Warriors has accelerated during the first couple of months of the 2023-24 NBA season. General injuries and indefinite player suspensions have often left the team short-handed, and there have been reports that certain players are losing faith in the head coach.
Warriors: Chris Paul Set To Have Hand Surgery
Warriors guard Chris Paul has a fractured left hand and will undergo surgery. pic.twitter.com/ME5eqj0onS
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 6, 2024
Tie it all in with the struggles that certain players have had with their on-court performance, and the Warriors have a losing record through the first 35 games of the season.
Things just got a lot more difficult, too. During the third quarter of Golden State’s game against Detroit, Chris Paul suffered a fractured hand that will require surgery to repair. There is no timetable for his return, but he is expected to be back at some point this season.
They’ll miss him. He was primarily used as the point guard for the second until four games ago, when he was inserted into the starting lineup in an attempt to shake things up. According to ESPN, the Warriors have the 10th best turnover percentage in the NBA when Paul is on the floor. They have the worst when he is not.
Golden State is already short-handed in the backcourt, as Gary Payton II is out indefinitely. Expect to see more of Cory Joseph and Brandon Podziemski going forward.
Golden State Moves Up Thanks To Narrow Win Over Pistons
The Warriors were down 103-102.
Then Steph dropped 8-straight points, including back-to-back step-back 3s 😤
Pistons-Warriors | Live on NBA App
📲 https://t.co/8PHAJQBBIr pic.twitter.com/gG1PEm9dYT— NBA (@NBA) January 6, 2024
In somewhat positive news, the Warriors were able to move into early playoff position, sneaking into 10th place with their win on Friday coupled with the loss by the Los Angeles Lakers. The top 10 spots are eligible for the playoffs, though the 7–10 seeds participate in the Play-In Tournament at the end of the regular season.
How they won that game wasn’t all that impressive, however. They were playing a home game against the 3-31 Detroit Pistons, who took a one-point lead with less than two minutes to go, until Steph Curry scored the final 11 points for Golden State to push them to a 4-point victory. They entered the game as 10.5-point favorites.
The Warriors are now missing key pieces in Paul, Payton II, and Draymond Green, and have just two games left on their home stand before hitting the road for a week. They’ll take on the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, followed by a date with the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
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