The Golden State Warriors will be without star forward Draymond Green for their big matchup against the Boston Celtics at Chase Center on Monday.
While the Warriors are yet to provide an official timeline on Green, the veteran forward is expected to be out for a period after leaving Saturday's win over the Washington Wizards just three minutes into the first-quarter.
The Warriors are now missing all their usual power forward options
Golden State labelled Green's injury as left calf tightness following his departure from the court, but have now officially noted it as a strain according to the injury report for Monday's game. A confirmed calf strain would suggest that the 34-year-old will miss multiple games, further devastating a forward rotation that's already without key members.
Jonathan Kuminga is still rehabbing a significant ankle sprain suffered against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 4, while Kyle Anderson continues to deal with a glute injury that will once again see him sidelined against the Celtics.
Green wasn't the only injury concern to emerge from the Warriors' 122-114 win over the Wizards, with Stephen Curry again turning his left ankle during a defensive play on Jordan Poole less than 90 seconds from the final buzzer.
Curry has been listed as questionable for Monday's game, but the 2x MVP sounded confident that he would be right to play when asked immediately after Saturday's victory. “Feels great. See you on Monday," Curry responded when asked how his ankle felt by Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Along with Green, Kuminga and Anderson, young guard Brandin Podziemski also remains out as he recovers from an abdominal injury. Monday will be the 11th game in a row that Podziemski has missed, with Golden State having gone 5-5 through the first 10.
Given the absences they face and the uncertainty surrounding Curry, the Warriors look hopelessly outmatched in preparation for the reigning NBA champions. The hosts can take some optimism from Boston's indifferent recent form, along with the immediete recent history between the two teams.
The Warriors have won two of the last three matchups against the Celtics, including a surprise 118-112 victory at TD Garden earlier in the season. While Boston are an imposing 29-13 on the season, they've gone just 7-8 in their past 15 games which included an overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Golden State moved back above .500 with a 21-20 record following Saturday's win, pushing them equal with the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns in the tight Western Conference standings.