Santa Cruz Warriors hope to go undefeated in 2018 G League Showcase
Santa Cruz Warriors scheduled to face Raptors 905 on the tail end of a back-to-back series, concluding the 2018 G League Showcase.
The Santa Cruz Warriors — G League affiliate of the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors — will conclude the 2018 G League Showcase on Thursday with a matchup against the Raptors 905.
Coming off a 94-92 win over the Grand Rapids Drive on Wednesday at the Hershey Centre, the Sea Dubs will look to extend their current win streak to five consecutive contests, which would improve their regular season win/loss record to 17-10.
Regardless of what happens on Thursday, the Santa Cruz Warriors will remain at the top of the Pacific Division. They will also retain the second seed in the Western Conference and continue to hold the third-best record in the G League.
Nevertheless, it’s imperative the Warriors win this game to pad their record and continue moving toward a 2018 playoff berth.
Game Details
Santa Cruz Warriors vs. Raptors 905
Tip-Off: Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. PST
Location: Hershey Centre, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
TV: ESPNU
Radio: N/A
Projected Starting Lineups
Raptors 905
PG: Aaron Best
SG: Lorenzo Brown
SF: Alfonzo McKinnie
PF: Bruno Caboclo
Head Coach: Jerry Stackhouse
Santa Cruz Warriors
PG: Quinn Cook
SG: Alex Hamilton
SF: Damion Lee
PF: Georges Niang
C: Damian Jones
Head Coach: Aaron Miles
Injury Report
SCW: Michael Gbinije (right calf) is considered “questionable.” Chris Boucher (ACL rehab), Terrence Jones (personal) and C.J. Wilcox (right knee surgery) are listed inactive.
RAP: Kethan Savage, Andre Washington and Negus Webster-Chan were all listed as DNP-CD’s in the 905’s last game against the Maine Red Claws.
Next: How could Curry's ankle injury affect GSW's 5-game road trip?
Key(s) to the Game
In our last game preview, we discussed the possible effects of Terrence Jones missing the entirety of the 2018 Showcase. In this preview, we’ll discuss the possible ramifications of losing Niang, who will reportedly sign a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz.
Thus far this season, he’s averaged 18.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals on 54.7 percent shooting from the field and 41.5 percent shooting from behind the arc.The Santa Cruz Warriors will be dealt a huge blow when Niang leaves, as he’s consistently played a huge part in the team’s overall success.
Terrence Jones will likely take his spot in the long run, but there’s no telling how long Jones will remain with the team, and he’s currently not with the team ahead of Santa Cruz’s game against the 905.
Therefore, the burden of supplementing Niang’s production will likely fall upon guys like James Southerland and Winston Shepard off the bench. These guys best get accustomed to playing more minutes as the Santa Cruz Warriors move closer and closer to the G League postseason.
(All game information provided via Santa Cruz Warriors PR)