The Warriors will be short-handed in Game 2
The Golden State Warriors are battling both the Portland Trailblazers and the injury bug in the opening round of the playoffs. The Dubs will be shorthanded in Game 2 as they look to take a 2-0 series lead. They’ll be without some key pieces.
Matt Barnes (ankle) is still not ready to play. Shaun Livingston (hand) played in the first game, but will miss Game 2. Kevin Durant (calf) will also be unavailable. All three players were listed as questionable ahead of the game.
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The Warriors want to be careful with all of their players, especially Durant. While having three players sidelined with injuries is far from ideal, Golden State values long-term health over one game in a series. They have their eyes on a bigger picture.
Leaving the team in the hands of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Those three and a solid cast of role players are still, probably, more than enough to defeat C.J. McCollum, Damian Lillard, and co. They can still win Game 2.
Expect Ian Clark and Patrick McCaw to see more opportunities in Game 2. Andre Iguodala will also probably need to step up and contribute more offensively. In Game 1, he didn’t take a shot until the fourth quarter. And, of course, the starters–especially Curry–will have to do a little more.
Losing Game 2 wouldn’t be devastating. Steve Kerr said he anticipates everyone playing in Game 3 on Saturday. At full strength, Portland cannot beat Golden State four times in a seven game series.
Everyone needs to get healthy. The Warriors want to be the last team standing in June. That doesn’t happen if you make injuries worse in the second game of the first round against the eighth seed.
Kerr has to get creative with his rotations in Game 2. But if one (or both) of Curry and Thompson were to get extremely hot, the whole team could be out with injury and it wouldn’t matter.