The Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics square off in a title contenders clash at Chase Center on Wednesday night.
The Warriors are coming off an 126-112 home win over the Washington Wizards on Monday, where Draymond Green made his return after a two-month absence.
Green came off the bench and spent 20 minutes on the floor. He had six points, seven rebounds and six assists.
The versatile forward will again come off the bench, as revealed by Golden State head coach Steve Kerr. “Draymond will come off the bench, the plan is to play 24 minutes. Hopefully, he will be in full form in two weeks.”
With Green back healthy, Stephen Curry made one of his best performances this season, scoring 47 points (16/25 shooting, 7/14 from beyond the arc).
“They are briliiant together, they know each other very well, it is a matter of chemistry. It is great to have that combination back,” Kerr told media, including Hedgeout.net, pregame.
After a five-game losing streak, the Warriors have won four straight and now are back on track. “Everybody feels good, it’s a huge boost to have Draymond back, we are again in a positive direction after the recent skid,” Kerr noted.
The Warriors also expect to have James Wiseman back soon and be in full strength ahead of the playoffs. The young center is with the Warriors’ G-League affiliate, aiming for a return to form.
“He is healthy, that’s the most important thing. The target now is to keep building his conditioning, but so far so good. He is now working on sustaining his energy, he will keep playing and see how it goes,” Kerr stated.
Photo: Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group
On the other hand, the Celtics are red hot as of late. They have won five of their last six games and want to climb to fourth in the East.
They currently are fifth (41-28), only 4.5 games behind conference leaders Miami Heat (46-24). Since January 1st, they have won 24 of the 33 games they have played.
“They are really clicking now and are great defensively. They are healthy now. Boston is a big, athletic team, very physical, so we have to play great to win tonight,” Kerr said of Boston.
For his part, Ime Udoka, the head coach of the Celtics, wants to see his players maintain their excellent form, as Boston tips off a four-game road trip in the West.
The Celtics went 1-4 in their previous road trip in the West back in December. Winning all four games will help Boston come closer to the direct qualification for the playoffs and avoid the play-in tournament.
“Stay in the top six is crucial to have extra rest before the start of the playoffs,” Udoka told the media pregame.
The first meeting between the two teams took place back in December. The Warriors survived a late thriller and went on to win the game by just four (111-107).
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