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The Golden State Warriors will be playing in back-to-back games starting with a matchup against the Boston Celtics on Friday. The Warriors are considering resting some of their veterans during the second night of this back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors according to a tweet from The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
Draymond Green hinted at an expected rest night in Toronto on Saturday for the veterans. Steve Kerr said no official decision has been made, but seems like Warriors are leaning toward sitting Curry/Draymond/maybe others against Raptors.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 16, 2021
The upcoming schedule will be the second set of back-to-back games for the Warriors in just this week. Golden State began this week by winning games against the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks on Monday and Tuesday respectively.
Almost all of the starters for Golden State have played in each of the 28 games this season with the exception of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green who have played in all but one of those games. Curry has averaged 34.3 minutes per game this season while Green has averaged 28.3 minutes per game.
The rest will be welcomed as it was obvious that the team came out sluggish in both of their recent games, relying on their defense to carry them until the offense picks it up late. It’s also been an emotionally draining week for the Warriors as Stephen Curry finally broke the record for most three-pointers made in NBA history.
Putting this all together, fatigue was bound to kick in at some point. With the league’s best record at 23-5, they have the luxury of thinking long-term with their team’s health. Prioritizing keeping their players fresh at the expense of some regular season games should be fine for a team with championship aspirations.
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