No Donovan Mitchell and no Draymond Green for this contest.
The Golden State Warriors nearly dropped both games of their back-to-back against the Indiana Pacers and the Houston Rockets. Those two struggling teams gave the shorthanded Dubs all they could handle, with the Pacers stunning Golden State in OT and the Rockets losing to Stephen Curry’s first ever buzzer beater.
Curry’s squad has the second best record in the NBA despite losing 6 out of their last 10 games. Their next visitor to Chase Center is the Utah Jazz, currently the 4th best team in the West by record. They too have lost 6 out of their last 10, with two of their recent losses coming from those same Pacers and Rockets.
Donovan Mitchell will remain in concussion protocol for Utah’s game vs Golden State on Sunday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2022
They’re coming off a win over the Detroit Pistons where their giant center Rudy Gobert had his best night on offense. Per the Salt Lake Tribune, Gobert is getting more confident at punishing mismatches down low:
The big man racked up 11 field-goal attempts and 11 free-throw attempts (and made eight of each) on his way to a season-high 24 points.
Asked if he feels he and the team have gotten better at capitalizing on those scenarios, Gobert answered affirmatively.
“I think so. I think so,” he said. “I learn from those situations and I’m able to get better.”
. .
Rudy Gobert | vs. Pistons
24 POINTS
14 REBONDS
4 CONTRESLe @utahjazz l’emporte 101-111 ! #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/3skVmnB6cn
— NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) January 22, 2022
If that’s the case, they Warriors will certainly have their hands full with Draymond Green and James Wiseman out. Fortunately they still do have Kevon Looney to battle down low, a guy who is on a hot rebounding streak and had a quality defensive game against Houston’s dynamic center Christian Wood.
In the midst of a frustrating month for the Warriors, Kevon Looney has been getting better with each game. Tonight, he’s been a plus rim protector. Here are two examples pic.twitter.com/8qMHYLUWXN
— Kelly O’Meara Morales (@_itskellyo) January 22, 2022
Golden State Warriors vs Utah Jazz
January 23rd, 2022 | 5:30 PT
Watch: NBC Sports Bay Area, NBA TV | Listen: 95.7 The Game